Firefly as horrifically misogynist?

[mochapixie]

Fella sent me the link to this radical feminist criticism of Firefly. If you've got a few minutes, go read it. I'm interested in what my intelligent, feminist (either explicitly or otherwise), Whedon-loving friends list has to say about this. I only made it about six paragraphs in before I was on the phone animatedly discussing it with fella - I

Comments

[zolota]

I read that criticism a while back, and I'm too tired to say much more than it makes me want to bash my head against a wall repeatedly. Fucking gah. I haven't read all the comments, but this one in particular sums up my thoughts. Blargh.

[m0535]

I've only glanced through it, but the fact that the first three paragraphs are dedicated to how scary Joss Whedon's misogyny is has already set off a small blinking light in my brain. I'll read the rest of it just to be fair, but the intro being so heavily laden with appeals to emotion does not bode well for the quality of this criticism.

[m0535]

Upon reading this entirely I can't even be sure there's anything of value to be had. Not being an avid viewer of firefly, the only view I have of the episodes (or segments of episodes) in question is through this article, which I can't help but feel is a view afforded through strongly tinted lenses. I don't feel we need an affirmative action program for our fiction characters, but perhaps the author would feel more at ease if such a plan were in place. If there are any good points to be had, I lost sight of them in the cloudiness created by the author seemingly losing sight of the fact that it's a piece of fiction

utterly rabid

[swirlingchaos]

"Like all sidechicks she is objectified from the get go. Her husband, Wash, talking about how he likes to watch her bathe. Let me just say now that I have never personally known of a healthy relationship between a white man and a woman of colour."

Riiiiight. Because its wrong for married people to be ATTRACTED to each other!! OMG!!! And mixing races ALWAYS goes wrong! Also all men beat women and all whites hate all blacks and any scene with no women in it is obviously homoerotic and all sex is rape and anyone who enjoys sex is being exploited by men/society at large. yay!! *facepalm*

The author of THAT isnt prejudiced at all, nooooo. They arent projecting at all, nooo.

The part that drives me bonkers is how radicals can look so intensely at something and miss all the points entirely.

Re: utterly rabid

[mochapixie]

I think the bit about Wash and Zoe was the most ridiculous to me. Honestly? The man can't drool about his wife? We're upset because they have a relationship that includes mutually healthy happy sexuality? Honestly?

One of the comments to the post said this: I mean c'mon! I don't even let my husband watch me bathe because I know he is leering and leering is NOT permitted! Not with me! Men - that is NOT love it is just lust when you 'admire' your wife's body like that!

... Are you fucking kidding me?

Re: utterly rabid

[zolota]

Because, you know, I don't enjoy watching my boyfriend bathe or anything. Men who enjoy their partners like that are rapists, and there isn't a woman on the planet who does the same damn thing with her partner.

I never thought I'd say something like this, but I actually feel sorry for the husband referenced in that comment. *head desk*

Re: utterly rabid

[mochapixie]

Good point. I'm positively lecherous with Boyfriend when he's undressing for the shower or something. I stare and grin and make sexual comments about my endless appreciation of his body.

Maybe I'm actually a man?

[miazma]

Inara's character and the whole "companion" thing was one of what I thought to be the more interesting sides of the sci-fi world that Whedon created. I don't claim to know a lot about it, but would think that one step towards lowering violence and oppression against women would be to have controlled and legalized solicitation where the women could pick and choose their clients carefully and be medically taken care of. A step even further would be to have these women educated and greatly respected. Inara was extremely high class and well schooled.

Secondly, she acts as though Whedon is candy-coating prostitution and painting a lovely picture of it as a commentary on modern society, which it simply isn't.

Also, lol @

"In fact there is a whole episode, War Stories, devoted to Wash and Mal’s ‘rivalry’. By the word rivalry, I mean violent, homoerotic male/male courtship conducted over the body of a woman."

Does this person speak English?