““Professor Marston & The Wonder Women” 2017 & “Wonder Woman” 2017
Just a few thoughts because I could GO ON:
I finally watched “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women” A movie about Professor Marston, his wife, their lover, and how Wonder Woman came to be. 10/10
Afterwards, I started rewatching Wonder Woman.
I initially got frustrated that maybe DC took Wonder Woman and tried to recreate her under the regular superhero guise, erasing Marston’s message of the power of the feminine. While it’s true they have edited out much of Marston’s original content, and it’s even possible they do try to hijack Wonder Woman; I think I can still see it. [note: PS “it feels like it’s choking me” “can’t say I blame it” SO FUCKING META]
What hit me the quickest is the offhand realization that the Amazonians are not made for battle. The fact that they are constantly training for it is proof that Themyscira has already been invaded with violence - the fear and need to defend against even the potential of it; It’s a trauma response.
The queen, Hippolyta, is scared that the “god killer” - “the fiercest among us” - is a form of violence, which she fundamentally believes is what will cause humankind to destroy themselves. Violence is what she rebelled against, regrettably through violence. A cycle of trauma, though maybe she took a necessary step getting out of it and into a safe place [ Themyscira. ] Her methods are debatable, but all the say she did the best she could. Just as her sister does as general. You can see the queens sister, Antiope , relish battle. That she believes to be “fierce” is to be the best at violence. the very thing that ends up killing her, proving further that violence leads to the self destruction of humankind. Antiope trains Diana to think that fighting is what makes her the fiercest. She does believe Diana is the god killer, she even believes the god of violence is the one to be killed! She stays true to what she believes, however oxy-moronically as it is unto death.But even in Diana refusing to fight - to use her arm shields [boundary - also, arms are the extension of the heart center] rather than to attack shows that it is not violence that she must master. Most recently I’ve appreciated boundaries referred to as self worth. And in valuing herself, she can value all selves. All of humankind. She opens to love, desire, grief, risk, loss, pain... I say maybe Love is Presence and Capacity, and envelops all experience with open arms and an open heart. It is revealed through Diana and her journey that “the fiercest among us” does not mean the most violent.
In the final battle, violence [resistance, unconsciousness, fundamentalism, physical lashing out, etc] has zero effect.
It isn’t until Diana opens to Love, as described above, that she defeats Ares - the “God of violence.”
“They are everything you say.. and more.”
Only Love can truly defeat violence.
Violence cannot thrive in Love.
That’s what Marston saw and tried to share as a psychologist and a feminist.
His observation was that the “way of man” is violence and power and control. The way of women is nurturing and love
“So it is the more reasonable choice that they are in the charge.”
“I can save today, you can save the world.”
“I used to want to save the world. To end war and bring peace to mankind; but then I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learnt that inside every one of them there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves—something no hero will ever defeat. Now I know that only love can truly save the world.”
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