Oh. My. God.
Now, y'all know that I consider myself a feminist. (As if my default icon wasn't enough of a clue.) I usually explain it to people using the Alan Alda quote: "Feminism is the radical belief that women are people." So you you know I mean business when I say that this woman brings "batshit crazy" to a whole new level.
Of course Firefly isn't perfect. IMHO, no TV show really is. But she's still drinking the '80s feminist KoolAid, and it kinda pisses me off.
What the fuck is this feminist man trying to say about women here? A black woman calling a white man ‘sir’. A white male captain who abuses and silences his female crew, with no consequences. The women are HAPPY to be abused.
Um, not quite. First of all, Zoe is calling Mal 'sir' because of his (former) rank, not because he's a man. If the character of Zoe were a man, he'd call Mal 'sir', too. As far as the whole Kaylee thing goes, it's obvious to me that she knows he's not serious, and therefore isn't letting his crabbiness affect her. It's like when I tell one of my guy friends "I hate you so much right now"--they know I don't really mean it.
But there is one really big question that does not get answered. The women who ‘choose’ to be ‘Companions’ are shown as being intelligent, accomplished, educated, well-respected and presumably from good families. If a woman had all of these qualities and opportunities then why the fuck would she ‘choose’ to be a man’s fuck toy? Would being a fuck toy for hundreds of men give a woman like Inara personal fulfillment? Job satisfaction? A sense of purpose? Fulfill her dreams? Ambitions?
Now, I totally agree with her (shocking as it is) that most prostitutes are not treated this way in our world. But television is FICTION. And if it could work like that in our society, I would have no problem with sex-positive women getting paid for sex. If taking money for use of your body is so inherently despicable, I wonder what this woman's opinion is of professional sports?
Mal never apologises for breaking the terms of his agreement with Inara. And although Inara gets a little annoyed, she does not get really angry at the Captain for consistently undermining her power and invading her space.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons I could never get into the whole Mal/Inara dynamic. He treated her poorly, and she let him walk over her too much. Yes, sometimes that happens in real life, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. However, she goes on to say...
It is clear from the outset that a large part of Inara’s service involves addressing issues of male inadequacy and fulfilling many other emotional needs of her clients. The ability to do this IS a resource and it is therefore a service that Inara must perform. BUT Inara services all of the male passengers and the Captain in this way.
I fill the emotional needs of a lot of men in my life. To quote another TV show: "It's called being friends. It's like therapy for poor people!" This doesn't mean I am prostituting myself; it just means I'm a human being.
To finish off, yes, I wish the women had gotten more storylines and character development. I wish the same for Stargate: Atlantis. But the fact that these shows are lacking in some areas does not make their achievements in other areas any less valid.
And that's my two (feminist) cents.
Of course Firefly isn't perfect. IMHO, no TV show really is. But she's still drinking the '80s feminist KoolAid, and it kinda pisses me off.
What the fuck is this feminist man trying to say about women here? A black woman calling a white man ‘sir’. A white male captain who abuses and silences his female crew, with no consequences. The women are HAPPY to be abused.
Um, not quite. First of all, Zoe is calling Mal 'sir' because of his (former) rank, not because he's a man. If the character of Zoe were a man, he'd call Mal 'sir', too. As far as the whole Kaylee thing goes, it's obvious to me that she knows he's not serious, and therefore isn't letting his crabbiness affect her. It's like when I tell one of my guy friends "I hate you so much right now"--they know I don't really mean it.
But there is one really big question that does not get answered. The women who ‘choose’ to be ‘Companions’ are shown as being intelligent, accomplished, educated, well-respected and presumably from good families. If a woman had all of these qualities and opportunities then why the fuck would she ‘choose’ to be a man’s fuck toy? Would being a fuck toy for hundreds of men give a woman like Inara personal fulfillment? Job satisfaction? A sense of purpose? Fulfill her dreams? Ambitions?
Now, I totally agree with her (shocking as it is) that most prostitutes are not treated this way in our world. But television is FICTION. And if it could work like that in our society, I would have no problem with sex-positive women getting paid for sex. If taking money for use of your body is so inherently despicable, I wonder what this woman's opinion is of professional sports?
Mal never apologises for breaking the terms of his agreement with Inara. And although Inara gets a little annoyed, she does not get really angry at the Captain for consistently undermining her power and invading her space.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons I could never get into the whole Mal/Inara dynamic. He treated her poorly, and she let him walk over her too much. Yes, sometimes that happens in real life, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. However, she goes on to say...
It is clear from the outset that a large part of Inara’s service involves addressing issues of male inadequacy and fulfilling many other emotional needs of her clients. The ability to do this IS a resource and it is therefore a service that Inara must perform. BUT Inara services all of the male passengers and the Captain in this way.
I fill the emotional needs of a lot of men in my life. To quote another TV show: "It's called being friends. It's like therapy for poor people!" This doesn't mean I am prostituting myself; it just means I'm a human being.
To finish off, yes, I wish the women had gotten more storylines and character development. I wish the same for Stargate: Atlantis. But the fact that these shows are lacking in some areas does not make their achievements in other areas any less valid.
And that's my two (feminist) cents.