xposting from tumblr

[astridv]

People who know me know that I’ve in the past spoken up against the denigration of female characters. Actually I’ve lost a good chunk of my LJ friends list over that issue, and I stand behind every word I said. But I don’t think that denigrating male characters is the answer to that problem. In my opinion, the answer lies in promoting fanworks about female characters. Writing fic. Drawing fanart. Reccing those works. Commenting. Exchanges. In calling out unfair character bashing. But I’m not going to choose between fangirling female characters and fangirling male ones. I want both. I need both in a canon in order to get really pulled in.

Is fandom seriously just capable of thinking in binary terms? No nuance, no context? I get backlash but it makes no sense to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and there’s a lot of that going on. Has been for years. It’s so unproductive.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

*ponders*

Not just fandom, but everyone, I think, tends to default to binaries. If you are not for something, you must be against it. If you are for something, you must be against what is considered its opposite.

It's a tendency I fight against.

I remember years ago being dumbfounded when my dad, who is usually a very calm measured person, was all up in arms about a group in our city who was promoting planting trees. He felt that because the signs they would post on the groves they planted were made of wood, they were hypocrites.

He couldn't seem to grasp that they could be for planting trees and still use wood. He felt if they were for planting trees, they must be against any use of wood.

It's a strange thing I come up against in many places.

Also, good for you for continuing to speak for female characters.

[astridv]

If you are not for something, you must be against it. If you are for something, you must be against what is considered its opposite.

Yup.
It seems somehow stronger in fandom but that may be because I'm spending so much time here.

He couldn't seem to grasp that they could be for planting trees and still use wood. He felt if they were for planting trees, they must be against any use of wood.

Wow. Yeah, good example. A kneejerk reaction, unspoiled by facts or critical thinking.

[sqbr]

Is fandom seriously just capable of thinking in binary terms? No nuance, no context?

Yes :(

[astridv]

Lol. Succinct, if pessimistic. ;)

[schneefink]

+1
Theory: it's harder to get those nuances on Tumblr because many people find posts by going through the tags, meaning they don't know the author. Different people have different language styles and you don't know their post history/opinions etc. so it's much easier to misunderstand/fixate on one thing/miss nuances than in an environment where you mostly react to posts by people you know and whose past opinions and writing styles you're familiar with, like Lj or DW. Not that it doesn't happen way too often there too, Tumblr just seems even more dangerous for it.

I assume you're talking about Ward? I've mostly skipped the meta posts you reblogged on Tumblr because I hadn't seen the episodes yet, but if people are seriously playing Ward vs. Romanoff, ouch. :(
(Headcanon: Natasha couldn't beat Fury's lie detector, because the person who administered the test to her was much better at it than Koenig(?I think his name was))

[astridv]

I think age also factors into it, tumblr skews younger than LJ/DW.

Yeah, I'm mostly talking about this ridiculous Ward vs Natasha rivalry which bugs me tremendously, as a fan of both. But the trend has been going on for a while. I'm also irked by the argument that Ward shouldn't get a shot at redemption because he's a straight white cis dude and if you have the gall to root for his redemption, you're racist and sexist and should shut up. How is that promoting diversity.

As an aside, they didn't even say Nat couldn't beat the lie detector. If Koenig was the one asking the questions, I'm sure she did. A machine is only as good as its operator. ;)

And I'm reasonably convinced that the reason they keep bringing up Natasha is to draw parallels between her backstory and Ward's. Which is very similar, even if his haters don't want to see it. It's not to downplay her skills.

[astridv]

*snort* You know what's funny? The two people who finally triggered this post, one has a Spike default icon, the other one of Loki, with a Lokisomething username. And the Lokifan has a post - I just skimmed but the gist I got was that you can't compare Ward to Loki because Loki had such a terrible childhood. Ah, they acknowledge that Ward also had a traumatic past, alas Loki had it much worse. You can't make this stuff up.

[schneefink]

That is hilarious (and sad.)

[jae]

I think I have a mild preference for female characters, but it's so mild that most of the time I don't even particularly notice whether I'm fangirling the women or the men. This whole tendency is just so bizarre to me.

-J

[astridv]

Bizarre, yes! Why do I have to decide on one or the other? That sort of thinking makes no sense.

[havocthecat]

But I don’t think that denigrating male characters is the answer to that problem.

It is explicitly the fuck not the answer to that problem.

[astridv]

I heart this comment. :)