tbh since that discussion a bit ago, it’s not leaving my mind and it’s frustrating me.
I mean, ok yeah, maybe the movie’s shit (how the fuck would I know I haven’t seen it), but really, I do think it’s a bit silly to go into media with expectations or a checklist or something, because if you’re only focusing on the negatives (’it didn’t have ___ in it’ for example) it’s hard to even attempt to enjoy things. It’s why I’ve fallen in love with the things I have- I go in with pretty much 0 expectations besides it being fun. If I had the mindset some people do, I couldn’t enjoy stuff like Short Circuit, Destroy All Humans!, Beauty and the Beast, Shin Megami Tensei... Pretty much everything I’ve come to love has things other people would take issue with for various reasons.
That’s not to say that they are wrong- nothing is perfect and there are flaws and tropes and stereotypes everywhere. But getting all upset over those things and not doing anything else besides getting upset over them doesn’t do anything to solve the problems. If people want change they have to actually do things to make it happen. I’m a useless piece of shit that can’t do anything right in the real world, so I don’t complain a whole lot if something doesn’t go my way in media. Hell, the only thing I can do with the tools and knowledge at hand is just not give money or attention to it. And promote the things that are what I want by buying them and spreading the fact they exist. If a movie or game is bad, you don’t give money to it. You give money to things that are actually good. Maybe the people making those bad movies will be like ‘this idea/etc. isn’t generating cash, but this other thing is. Let’s try to do that to get cash.’
And about representation- I honestly do want to see more minorities in the media. But I don’t want them to be done badly. I don’t want a character to be defined solely by what gender, orientation and/or skin colour, because that has nothing to do with what makes them truly likable. You don’t go to people you like in the real world and judge them JUST on those traits, right? They could be the most oppressed person in the world and have the most horrific personality and just be a shitty person. What they are has nothing to do with it. It’s one of the reasons I don’t get upset that there’s very little good representation in the media. If what is there is good, then that’s a good start. The media just needs to know that the good kind of rep is what is desired.
I love Steven Universe’s Ruby and Sapphire (and by extension, Garnet) because their love is portrayed quite realistically (sorta- if you get past the whole they are alien rock women thing) and them being in love doesn’t completely define them (aka they have personalities and are their own characters when they are apart). It feels like real love- like if you took their dialogue and had two irl lesbian women say them, it would be like ‘yeah these ladies are totally a couple. I’m happy for them.’ imo it’s pretty good representation. I want more like that. I absolutely want more characters that are LGBT that can be in relationships that work. I want them well written. I want to be able to actually identify with them on both an ‘I’m an LGBT person too’ and a ‘this character’s personality/views are similar to mine’ level, instead of one or the other (though the latter is fine if it’s all I’m given. The former doesn’t cut it for me).
...I think I’m pretty spent out on opinions now. I don’t care if people don’t like them since this is my blog and I can say whatever and you’re not required to agree or like it. If you stay, cool. If you don’t want anything to do with me, cool. Either way it’s enough for someone to read this.
