I rant
Seriously. Very ranty rant under the cut
Let's imagine. Let's imagine that somewhere in a science fiction tv show universe far far away, someone discovers a body switching device. And let's imagine that the body switching device enables a skinny, beautiful, brilliant quadriplegic scientist (who's never been kissed and will be referred to SBBQS) to swap bodies with an able-bodied lesbian woman.
SBBQS finds herself in A-BL's body. I don't know if SBBQS has always been disabled or not. Imagine discovering or rediscovering the joys of physical independence. She can walk! Heck, she can wipe her own backside. Have a crap or a pee without medical intervention or diapers. She can cut her own meat. There could be a great deal of poignant character development as she exercises a physical agency that she and the audience know can only be temporary.
However, let's imagine that the media powers that be decide that in giving this character her physical agency that they are going to hand-wave any little issues of her moral agency. Let's have SBBQS (who remember, has never been kissed) decide to use A-BL's borrowed body to have sex - with a man (remember that L stands for lesbian). Wow. I have to admit that I'm imagining a few serious consent issues right about here. I'm trying to imagine whether or not I could give a shit about individuals who are willing to use another unwitting person that way. I'm imagining A-BL returning to her own body and wondering just why her crewmates are looking at her *that* way. And I'm imagining the media powers that be returning SBBQS to her own body and the camera fading out on her gentle smile as she considers that she and her male sexual partner are scum of the earth, but hell, her life is now fulfilled because she's had cock.
At this point I don't have to imagine my vomitous, roiling-stomached anger, at all.
Let's imagine. Let's imagine that somewhere in a science fiction tv show universe far far away, someone discovers a body switching device. And let's imagine that the body switching device enables a skinny, beautiful, brilliant quadriplegic scientist (who's never been kissed and will be referred to SBBQS) to swap bodies with an able-bodied lesbian woman.
SBBQS finds herself in A-BL's body. I don't know if SBBQS has always been disabled or not. Imagine discovering or rediscovering the joys of physical independence. She can walk! Heck, she can wipe her own backside. Have a crap or a pee without medical intervention or diapers. She can cut her own meat. There could be a great deal of poignant character development as she exercises a physical agency that she and the audience know can only be temporary.
However, let's imagine that the media powers that be decide that in giving this character her physical agency that they are going to hand-wave any little issues of her moral agency. Let's have SBBQS (who remember, has never been kissed) decide to use A-BL's borrowed body to have sex - with a man (remember that L stands for lesbian). Wow. I have to admit that I'm imagining a few serious consent issues right about here. I'm trying to imagine whether or not I could give a shit about individuals who are willing to use another unwitting person that way. I'm imagining A-BL returning to her own body and wondering just why her crewmates are looking at her *that* way. And I'm imagining the media powers that be returning SBBQS to her own body and the camera fading out on her gentle smile as she considers that she and her male sexual partner are scum of the earth, but hell, her life is now fulfilled because she's had cock.
At this point I don't have to imagine my vomitous, roiling-stomached anger, at all.