To me the world ended in the 70s, so gay rights weren't achieved before The Final Fall, and probably weren't even a focus before then because of the wars and raising tensions. In a way the apocalypse allowed people to express themselves more freely, cause things like social norms and acceptance didn't matter when survival became a luxury. You either make it through the day or die, so you might as well be yourself and let others deal with it. (rant ab warlords below)
This attitude would carry on throughout the following generations, but those who lived in the past have a harder time adjusting. The Farmer's one of these people, holding onto lost hate and judgement that keeps him from questioning what the new world could offer him. He looks for hypermasculinity that only Immortan Joe offers, covering himself in weaponry to compensate for his fragile view of his own manliness and identity.
In fact, both Immortan Joe and The Bullet Farmer are dressed to represent some aspect of masculinity; The Immortan has his medals and intimidating mask with teeth, and The Farmer has bullets and guns wrapped around every inch of himself. Their behavior is similar, with Joe being possessive and demanding while The Farmer is domineering and takes charge when he feels necessary. They present the pride, violence, assertion and aggression that was expected in their time.
Then there's The People Eater, who's almost the exact opposite. His attitude is more pompous and judgmental than outright cruel, he's more comfortable with sexuality and openly expresses it whenever, and his clothing is quite fancy (for the wasteland at least) and open when compared to the others' overwhelming halloween costumes. He's never explicitly mocked for being this way; in fact no one really seems to care. The Eater has followed the rest of The Waste in its view of expression and tolerance, only being in touch with Joe, not out of desperation and a need to be reminded of what once was, but out of necessity for resources. And even then, he still holds a high position despite his lacking interest in everything Joe views and values.
It's just interesting that The Immortan Joe and The Bullet Farmer is trying to rebuild some version of the patriarchy when The Farmer doesn't benefit/hurts himself in the process, and The People Eater is the pinnacle of what a patriarchy goes against (open sexuality and expression from social norms).
Maybe The People Eater is tolerated and used to show what's expected. Like, you can be different as long as you provide something. And The Eater's rank does show this as well, with him being seen as the least important/listened to despite him running the refinery and being the reason their cars move. You can be different, but you won't be rewarded as much as you could if you just followed what was expected. The Farmer knows this and actively hides part of himself through violence and a justice system with a twisted sense of what's right and wrong.
Been thinking about the use of names ever since reading @aquitainequeen's post about the use of "the" in characters' names, which made me think about something. Rant ab the warlords and their titles below:
Despite being in one of the highest positions in Immortan Joe's rule, The Bullet Farmer and The People Eater's names are more like job descriptions than actual names. The names give some idea as to who they are, but the general idea is that one's a manufacturer and the other's an accountant. That's all that really matters.
There's no personal connection to the titles. The Bullet Farmer does have a passion for what he does, being ex-military and all, but knowing a lot about guns isn't unique when everyone has to use them now. The People Eater's name has more than one meaning, him working with numbers and being a cannibal, but cannibals are more common and anyone would learn how to count and calculate if it meant getting a safe place to sleep. Anyone could take their titles and places and nothing would change, no problem at all.
But no one can take Joe's name. He IS The Immortan Joe. Joe the Immortal, who rose from the dead and is saving the Wasteland. His name was Joe and it still is, now with the reminder that he is above any and everyone.
The other two warlords don't have or get that image, and Joe made sure of that. He could have called them something that mattered more than a job, but that would mean sharing the spotlight. And no god likes sharing their influence and power.
With this in mind, I wonder if Joe sees The Bullet Farmer and The People Eater as an extension of himself, and expects them to follow his exact orders and ideals. I personally think Joe just sees The Eater as a tool to look after his strongholds, which would explain why he just shot him in Fury Road. The Farmer is different.
Joe's view on The Bullet Farmer is more complicated because of their longer history together, so he has a warped perspective on their relationship. I can see Joe trying to push his own views onto The Farmer, trying to make him share his thought process and explanations, but still follow and admire him. Kind of like a narcissist trying to control their close friend. In a way he wants to bring The Farmer to a "higher level" in his leadership because he cares about him, but he also wants to use him and live vicariously through him.
"You are important to me, but you will never be as important as me," The Immortan Joe to The Bullet Farmer at some point.
So what better way to "elevate" and "support" your closest comrade while still controlling and ensuring their loyalty, than by making them accomplish what you are (currently) not able to do. They won't be hurting your ego by doing this, because, in a way, you are allowing them to do this (whether they want to or not). They have your permission, and a reminder that you control their every move.
When I saw this scene I was wondering where they even found that bear, and later I wondered why they used a bullet as a prop when they were going to war. I'm assuming it's a pride thing.
It would have been funny if they used like, a nip piercing for Dementus since, y'know, he lacks the nip part.
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