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Chrizum on 15 January 2018
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Nymeria said:
Goodnightmoon said:

To suggest Rey is an excessively idealized female character and she sucks for that but then to deny Neo, Harry Potter or James Bond are excessively idealized males characters already proves my point, most of this complainst have a base on pure sexism, with her people tries to find every single little detail of why she is a Mary Sue, with them everybody does the exact opposite, try to find every little detail to prove why they aren't Marty Stus even when they clearly are if we apply the same values for all cases.

Harry fails, multiple times he relies on others, he lets others down, people die because of him, he is helpless to save people he cares about.  He is terrified and need his parents and loved ones as he goes to die.  He has abilities and strengths, but he also struggles and weaknesses.  I was always good at art and writing as a child, but I struggled in mathematics no matter how hard I tried.  A character can have a specific positive aspect that makes them of interest.  It adds complexity and interest when they have to deal with real challenges with real consequences.  Life is hard, filled with false starts and failures, its how we respond to this that defines us.  

You throw around "sexism" casually as a lazy argument to poison the well of other members here.  You are the most sexist person I've seen in these threads. Treating women like fragile porcelain dolls who cannot handle criticism.  We ask to be held to the same standards as men, not just the advantages they get, but the responsibilities as well.  Major characters like Rey are massive missed opportunities for women and girls to look toward in fiction.  In real life the disillusionment will come when you fail, and fail again, and you have no excuse and your job fires you because accountability exists.  Strong women, or people in general, are forged through their trials and coming to terms with any limitations they have.

*Applause* You worded this much better than I could, even though I wanted to. People throw around sexism around like it carries no weight at all these days. Although it's mostly done by young people so it may be a matter of lack of real-life experience.

While Disney could have taken this opportunity to create a strong female role model, it may also be a little unfair to criticize them heavily for not doing so. Disney movies just aren't known for their complex characters with solid backstories. Disney also acquired Marvel and the new direction Star Wars has taken is a lot like the Marvel movies. Simple, over the top, amusement above all. I think Hermione is a much better role model for young girls than every female role in every Disney movie ever.