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o_O.Q on 27 January 2015
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S.T.A.G.E. said:
o_O.Q said:
"Ellie is the most empowered female character ever created"

then to be blunt you do not understand what empowerment means

ellie spends the whole game relying on joel to keep her safe so ultimately she was only ever a dependent and that is not empowering

to be empowered means that you for example have the power to keep yourself safe that you are truly independent and autonomous

ellie was neither and this is pretty much why i take issue with a lot of the things feminists say... because, for example, its clear that they lack a fundamental understanding of many of the terms they use commonly such as objectification, empowerment, independence, autonomy etc

Your attempt to make me seem like I cannot understand what empowerment means is false.

Actualy, no. Ellie is not completely dependent upon joel, she is put under his protection to be transported from point A to point B in the game. During this time Joel , eventually stops seeing Ellie as a job and eventually develops feelings for her, and eventually ends up falling for her as if she were his own daughter, which he lost earlier in the game.

Ellie as a personality, is brash, brave, wise beyond her years and self sufficient; however, she has a lot to learn in skill, philosophy and survival and joel gives this to her. She grew up in a post apocalyptic world and knows how to cope with it. She did not witness the world transform from tranquility, to shambles.  She might not be able to overpower a man, but she knows how to take them down and survive on her own (especially after Joel helps her). 

Joel eventually has to let go of Ellie and allow her to use the tools at her disposal to protect herself if need be. In the beginning of the game she is trying to cope with Joels protectiveness, in the beginning of the game he cannot stop her from helping him and as the game progresses he can no longer stop her from growing into the survivalist she was always meant to be, so he finally teaches her lessons allows her to shoot certain guns  and this helps her in the sequences later to come where joel would eventually need her help.

Ellie was already a brave character, but joel empowered her to survive much longer during his time with her than without. He became the father she didnt have and she became the daughter he didn't have. His issue with empowering her, was learning to let go, because eventually she meant more to him than his duty to protect her. She returns the favor to protect him in kind. Joel couldnt protect her forever and just as he began to teach her...he needed her more than ever.

I'll just leave the definition of empower here for you.

em·pow·er
əmˈpou(ə)r/
verb
past tense: empowered; past participle: empowered
  1. give (someone) the authority or power to do something.
    "nobody was empowered to sign checks on her behalf"
    synonyms: authorize, entitle, permit, allow, license, sanction, warrant, commission,delegate, qualify, enable, equip
    "the act empowered police to arrest dissenters"
     
    • make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.
      "movements to empower the poor"
      synonyms: emancipate, unshackle, set free, liberate
      "movements to empower the poor"
    • Joel eventually has to let go of Ellie and allow her to use the tools at her disposal to protect herself if need be. The whole game she was trying to help Joel and he was trying to prove save the day and protect her on his own.


"Your attempt to make me seem like I cannot understand what empowerment means is false."

i did not say that, i said that based on your belief that ellie is empowered that you do not understand what it means at this point... to say that i said that you "cannot" understand it implies that i'm saying that you have some kind of mental defect and that is not the case

"Joel eventually has to let go of Ellie and allow her to use the tools at her disposal to protect herself if need be"

actually that's right now that i think about it i'm wrong

i had forgotten about the winter months when ellie had to take care of joel and keep him safe and provide food for him

so yeah my mistake i was only remembering the first half where joel had to escort her everywhere 

"I'll just leave the definition of empower here for you."

yes i understand empowerment but the ways i see it being used recently makes me wonder about if its losing its meaning