| Jaicee said: Since, being the cool kid on the block, I can think of nothing better to do with my Saturday night than post on VGC, I feel like complaining some more about The Rise of Skywalker because I'm still pissed off about it. The focus of today's gripe will be the much-hyped "historic LGBT representation" it provides. First of all, to be selfish and politically incorrect for a minute, let me take exception to the premise. The L, the G, the B, and the T in that expression all refer to different things. What happens in this film is a one-second LESBIAN kiss. Why do we insist on using a generic expression like "LGBT" as though the two women might be trans or something instead of the more obvious term that recognizes them as, you know, women? They are not "LGBT", they are not "queer", whatever that even means, and they are not simply "gay" as though they might be male, either. This is a LESBIAN act. Why must it be called something more obscure than that by the press? Use the expression "LGBT representation" when you include it for ALL of those groups, not just one! Sorry, pet peeve of mine there. So anyway, yeah, they snuck in a one-second kiss between two women of no narrative importance whose names I can't even recall if they were even used near the end of the film. If you blinked at the wrong time, you'd have missed it. I had to Google the scene after the movie to confirm that it was, in fact, two women in that scene because it was so brief that I questioned my initial judgment. Anyway, this was the special "representation" the filmmakers had touted pre-release. Okay. Let me point something out here: until near the end of this movie, THE MAIN CHARACTER, Rey, had no love interest. While I never believed for a second that Disney would dare allow anyone to make a character as central as Rey explicitly lesbian or anything like that, as that would be several bridges too far for most of the already-butthurt #StarWarsFans, let's be honest (to say nothing of One Million Moms), they could've just simply left things as they were in that regard and not given her a romance arc. (Why does everybody have to have one anyway?) As things were, it was at least possible for me to imagine Rey as a lesbian. Now that she's lip-locked with Kylo Ren (whyyyyyyyyyyyyy????), that is no longer possible. But they gave me a one-second kiss between two no-name characters in the background toward the end of the movie and that's supposed to make up the difference for me? Well, it doesn't. Not by a long shot. The logical substitution I have just described is called pandering, not progress. And the "historic" scene wasn't even included in all versions of the movie! Groundbreaking! Let us all shower Disney with praise for their monumental bravery! |
You were claiming people complain about TLJ for political reasons even after giving explicitly critical reasons and looking down on them for it. Now here you are, complaining about TROS for political reasons. "Do I as I say but not as I do."
I'd still like to know why you believe representation is so important as if it can cause change. You are even aware that the scene was removed in territories where oppression for women/lgbt/etc. is actually real, meaning supported by the majority pop and the government. It hasn't done anything, naturally as representation is not even allowed until the oppression has ended. Companies don't care about causes more than money so they'll only push them where it's safe as it's free easy brownie points.
Representation can only be the result of change, not the start of it, and change requires risk and sacrifice, as those in power generally don't give a shit about intangibles like words and movies.
