"Vox acts like a white man from the 50s!"
"Of course Vox did that, he's a white man from the 50s."
Genuine question, what do y'all think the 50s were like?
Because whenever I see these takes, or read fics with that tag, it always feels like a very modern perspective on the topic. People will pick apart a dozen little things Vox does or says as evidence of how bigoted he is, and bring up how he's from the 50s like it's the ultimate condemnation of his behavior. And sure, his time period is where he would have learned those attitudes, but like.
If you compare Vox's behavior in modern-day canon with actual 50s-level bigotry. And you assume he held opinions typical of his era while he was alive. He's um. He's pretty progressive.
To start, racial segregation was still a thing in the 50s. The Civil Rights Movement started in the middle of the decade, but according to the Wiki, Vox died before that. So if he still had a 50s mindset, he would at best think it beneath him to work alongside, or even in proximity with, anyone from another race. The other end of the spectrum is racially motivated violence and murder. Given he was a literal serial killer, it's entirely possible that he was on that end of the spectrum, but given his motive for killing was personal advancement, it's also possible that he wouldn't have bothered. We have no evidence one way or the other.
In any event, Vox obviously does not require his partners (business or otherwise) to be white. He has not required it for at least a few decades, and he might not have ever required it, at least in Hell. Because the first guy he tried to partner with, whom he spent years getting close to and considered a friend, and even fell in love with, is Black Creole. And while it's possible he didn't know that, I'd argue that if race was a dealbreaker, he would have made a point of finding out. So he either didn't know and didn't care, or did know and didn't care.
Not caring isn't the same as not being racist, of course, and given his multiple transgressions in the present (both accidental and deliberate), he probably "didn't care" in the most offensive way possible. But he's spent decades working with Valentino, who's perfectly willing to scold and throw things at him when he crosses a line, and there's no way that partnership would have lasted if Vox refused to change. Given that he's had a lot of screentime and only been racist three times, he seems pretty teachable.
Still racist? Yes. 50s-era levels of racism? Not remotely.
So how about the misogyny, then? In the 50s, women pretty much couldn't do anything without their husbands' permission. Legally they could do things like open bank accounts and own property, but with no laws to prevent discrimination, men could simply refuse to do business with or employ women. Socially, women were expected to be passive, modest caregivers who put others before themselves. So as a man from the 50s, Vox presumably wants the women around him to be obedient doormats who cater to his every whim, yes?
Well, he and Velvette are introduced with her ordering him to come deal with his boyfriend. He does as asked without argument or reprimand, and while he's annoyed, it's not her fault and he doesn't take it out on her. He also never tells her how to do her job, or offers help she doesn't need, or even gives her unsolicited advice. She is his business partner, whom he chose to work with of his own volition, and he treats her as such.
He does expect obedience from Katie Killjoy (an employee, whose soul he probably owns), and as her boss, he also expects her to do her work to his liking. She also spends half their interaction sexually harassing him. And beyond his initial rejection, he never says a word to stop her, even though he clearly doesn't like it. He just kind of puts up with it.
Vox is by no means a pushover, but his social boundaries are. Not good.
Anyway, there is nothing 50s about the way he interacts with women.
Of course, no discussion about gender roles is complete without the other side of the coin. 50s men were expected to be restrained, self-reliant providers and protectors. Emotional displays (including anger, when in public) were considered weakness. Caregiving was unmanly. And now we're talking about Vox himself, so as a man from the 50s, he should be doing his damndest to live up to these ideals, right?
Let's see. He can be self-reliant, but he doesn't want to be, so cross that off the list. He can be emotionally reserved, but he usually shows his emotions in private, even if he doesn't act on them, and his public persona is more upbeat and energetic than stoic. So cross that off. He goes out of his way to make sure Valentino eats, and expresses concern about him not eating, which would fall under caregiving. Cross that off. The Vees all have jobs, which makes their income a collaborative effort, so he's not the sole provider for his family unit either.
The only box he really ticks, at least from the above list, is "protective". And given how quickly he reacts when the other Vees are threatened, I'm confident in saying he's protective because he is, not because it's expected of him. That's a score of... 1/5. So Vox does not particularly embody the 50s ideal of masculinity. In fact, by those standards, he is a complete and utter failure: weak, overly feminine, and frankly pathetic.
"Vox acts like a white man from the 50s!"
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