or why the concept of a Sue is sexist.
From Poisoned by Hatred
This essay is witty and straight to
the point. Mary Sue was a concept I just didn't get till I read this and maybe
for a good reason. I never got how to tell what a Mary Sue was or how to spot
one. I believe this comes down to the way I read. I like a character or I don't
and that is pretty much all the justification I need. I feel this keeps the
focus right where it needs to be, on my enjoyment. This essay's question
reminds me there is more to look at and reason with. Do I, as a girl and a
person, give slack to guys because they have been uplifted for so long?
I'm not much into movement and never
cared about women's power. I believe an individual is capable so long as they
work. Do that and there is no problem. That sounds so naive, doesn't it? Well
my dad works hard, believes in working hard, and wanted a boy. Maybe I was
doomed. Of course there are others who will judge women more harshly than a
man. They are just one type of person though; I don't have to deal with them. But
yes you do they are your boss and others in your life. That is true but I
feel leading by example is probably more effective. How can I do that if I am
paying attention to the thing I don't want to be like?
Ok, so I believe in learning and
potential in the real world but what about the written worlds? I feel things
are not as favorable. I always seem to be more attracted to male characters. I
can't be fully objective; I am after all a member of society even if I've never
been the best with current events or happenings. I can't say I'm above the
traps that you can fall into with this kind of gender bias. For all I know I
already have and have been programmed to fall in love with these characters or
wish I was them because men are so much better. Either way I can't rule it out.
What can I do? I can start by looking at what I read and which characters I
like.
The first thing that came to mind
for female characters was Anime. From there I think I can sum up some of the
things a character does or is for me to like them. There has to be some form of
fighting. They have to be at least a bit of a hard ass. Well placed or earned
power is a good thing. Jerks need love too. Some of the thoughts that got me
here were asking me why I liked Sango better then Kagome in Inuyasha or why I
didn't think of Sakura, from Naruto, as useless as people like to say she is.
What finally brought it all together was Eowyn killing the Witch-King as the
coolest thing ever.
Does this mean I can respect women as
traditional women? After all Eowyn was posing as a man. Can I love femininity?
I have to say yes and no. I feel I can like characters femininity only to a
point. The only one that comes to mind that has any femininity, and lacks
overtly male traits, is Hermione. Even she has to remind Ron that she is a
girl. Maybe that is one of the reasons I like her, they are so close that the
details of her gender are erased. The only house wife that I like and can think
of is from Shin Chan. Oh my. Well till I gave it was pointed out that Izumi, FMA, is also a housewife, kick ass. I've also thought a little on Sailor Moon, I tried
to watch it and read a good bit of the manga, I hated it. That makes no sense
to me because I love to hear little summaries about it and I feel the art, or
fan art, for it is to die for. Maybe that is a bit much, let’s just say I am
attracted. I blame the plot and bad lines for my issue. Could it be more than
that? I don't know.
This really is a lovely essay and I
am so glad I found it. I don't feel my comments are needed but this makes for a
good personal review. There are a ton of other women I could point out about but I'm blanking and wanting to keep this fairly short. It isn't about the women, over all, it is about how we view them. I liked Jurassic Park as a kid and I still like it now. Let’s
leave it at that.
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