Tonight’s episode is basically two things. First, we talk Wonder Woman. They we talk Snow White and the Huntsman. Which Tony spoils. A lot. Which, to be fair, it’s a pretty bad movie, so don’t worry. But if you’re scared of spoilers for Snow White and the Huntsman, pay attention to when Tony says there will be spoilers. Then basically stop listening to the rest of the episode.
LINKS:
William started a petition!
Also, along the same lines, here is a very amusing and kind of sad website.
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William doesn’t have Facebook, Google+, or Twitter but he’s trying to get out a petition on the internet.
You’re kinda handicapping yourself.
It was during the late 60’s when they took away her power.
I would like to point out that I sent in the “apples” email in THE VERY FIRST BATCH I SENT, or at least at some point before the “Jessie said, ‘FUCKIT!'” episode. I’m pretty sure.
Also, it DID spark a new discussion. So there.
William, when have you been in a co-ed group of people where, regardless of qualification, the woman is the default leader? I’ve been in many groups where the qualified woman/women get the work done, but even proof of that success does not demonstrate sufficient ability to lead the group. A qualified woman who attempts to “take” her place as leader, even with less ferocity of a man, is still nearly always looked at as a power hungry bitch, regardless of her qualifications.
I think your Wonder Woman concept is good to show women and men how society could operate, but from my experience, that is seldom how it does operate.
Tony, I’m with you on the appearance of Snow White thing, seems like black hair should be black, and red lips should be at least approaching blood colored. I could get on board with a “white” complexion that was very fair in color and was pure, without mar of freckles or moles. Anyone else think the description of Snow White sounds much like a geisha?
I’ve been in a few situations where a woman in the group took control and, because she clearly knew what she was doing, everyone else let her, including the men. Now, I can’t account for how she was perceived by everyone else. Just because they let her take control doesn’t mean they liked it. They certainly didn’t tell me what they thought of her afterwards, but that could have been because I likely didn’t hide my appreciation and admiration for her contribution.
The point, though, in showing that at least Superman and Batman are naturally at ease with Wonder Woman taking over is about more than just showing how things ought to operate. Of course, kids tend to look up to superheroes, and even adults, who these days typically demand more nuance and flaw in their heroes, still expect the idols they grew up with to overcome their shortcomings and do the right (difficult) thing in the end. The heroes in our stories are always a little better than we are in some respect. It’s part of their purpose in narrative to show us not only what we are, but what we can be.
In short, I think the audience expects Superman and Batman to be a bit more elevated than your average man, at least in some ways. So why couldn’t they be in this way?
My observation based on my work environment is that a woman can sometimes lead by virtue of authority, if not qualifications. Around here, if her place is sufficiently high within the hierarchy, or if she’s been ‘deputized’ by a superior, others will defer to her and are generally OK with it, provided she’s not making poor decisions.
At the same time we have several high-ranking women here who work in positions where they are essentially gatekeepers. It is within their authority and it is actually their job to enforce the rules and to tell people “no” on a regular basis. I hear a lot of backlash about it, and I think some of it is related to gender.
Not to get all gender essentialist, but a lot of the men I see in leadership positions lead in a literal sense – they go bravely forward and essentially say “follow me” – where the women tend to point out avenues for exploration, but leave more of the direct decision making to the team or the individual in question. It can be harder to see the latter as leadership if you’re not paying careful attention, especially if that combines with trying to build up your staff and let them look good. If I suggest a particular online class to a subordinate and he takes it and does well, I’m not going to say, “Look what I did.” I’m going to say, “Look what he did.”
Tony: Which cat had to go in? Also, we hope your vet is able to put all the bits that fell off back on.
Cat beating on Tony: Good work! Fair warning, I think that’s technically the Producer’s job; so you might want to be careful that you’re not overstepping your boundries.
Wonder Woman: I don’t think the studios believe there is a large enough audience to justify the expendature of creating a strongly feminist Wonder Woman film. That seems like it would be a rather specific demographic, vs the much broader demographic that Titanic targeted. And while the Lego Friends line is awful on many levels, apparently it is selling well (http://jezebel.com/lego-friends/). Also, was Wonder Woman really created to be a feminist icon? I remember seeing an awful lot of early Wonder Woman comic art showing her being captured by the villians and tied up with her own magic lasso.
Super Hero costumes: Pants are ok, however…..
William: If you’ve got a treatment already worked up, why not talk to DC and/or DC’s movie studio? Or if you don’t do that, you could always use your film making skills to produce your own version (maybe using Stickfas?).
Batman doesn’t need to lead. He just tells them what to do, manipulates them into doing what he wants or just works around them.
Hmm…. TMTH as a super hero? Maybe TMTH is actually the Helm of Nabu?
Tony & the Producer: If you’re still looking for something to do with all that canning goodness, maybe we can work out an arrangement. Michelle & I bought a CSA share this summer and I’m starting to wonder if we’re getting too much veggies…. 🙂
Snow White & the Huntsman: Tony’s description really makes me want to see this movie. Also it seems likely the Queen’s powers don’t work in the dark forest; because the ‘shrooms get her totally trippin’ so hard she can’t do magic.
Pinoccio is worse than the Hunchback of Notre Dame? Really?