Dollhouse vid

[meganbmoore]

Earlier today, coffeeandink linked to a Dollhouse vid by giandujakiss . giandujakiss warned that it might be triggering. When it was linked to Whedonesque, the warning was that it might be offensive

Comments

[retsuko]

Wow. An extremely well-done video. I'd never heard this song before and think a lot less of "The Fantastiks" as a result of hearing it.

As for the video itself, it encapsulates a lot of what squicks me about the show. I had an annoying discussion with a friend of mine the other day who insisted she could not see the show as offensive. "It's a fantasy! It's not real!" she kept arguing. That's the problem in a nutshell for me: fantasy is just as much about reality as it is fantasy, and if this is what reality is at, I kind of want to get off the ride. :{

[meganbmoore]

The "it's fantasy!" is kind of the ehole point. Because the show says that it's grating a fantasy. Then it says that it's wrong to indulge in that fantasy. And then it says "But that's just the way the world is, so go with it and find reasons to UNDERSTAND and SYMPATHIZE."

[retsuko]

Yeah, the pseudo-feminist take on the issues: "we've acknowledged them and therefore we can do whatever we like!" drives me crazy. It was precisely the same thing that ruined "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" for me (not that was an especially high quality show, but still...)

[cerusee]

I really love the Fantasticks, but I've never warmed up to that song--if anything, a more sophisticated adult understanding of etymology and language use has made me less impressed with the "but this is what rape used to mean!" justification for a writing cheerful ballad on the glory of rape--in 1960. I don't see any pressing motivation to "reclaim" rape for its traditional meaning of abduction + assumed non-consensual sex with the kidnapped from its modern meaning of non-consensual sex, metaphorically extending to include any kind of traumatic violation of the self. Rape isn't funny, and it wasn't funny in 1960

[lesbiassparrow]

That video is sort of magnificent. And incredibly honest. (Though it makes the show look better and slicker than the episodes I've seen.)

[meganbmoore]

The aesthetics actually do improve a good bit in more recent episodes.

I love it for its honesty.

[lyssie]

Goddamn. I should have taken your warning to heart. *goes for the alcohol*

[meganbmoore]

There's totally no rape in the show! Ever! The imprints count as totally being independent people! Having consent programmed into you totally counts as real consent!

...

I don't drink. What do you have?

[lyssie]

Also, the "oh, I don't see it as skeevy, so they're just bad feminists!" and the girl who doesn't get feminist film theory, even though she's *shock* done years of it or whatever.

I suspect they're not far away from "They're all just jealous and don't get laid."

Actually, I went to bed. But I was seriously considering the tequila.

[lady_ganesh]

I have a good friend who is a major Whedon fan. We don't talk about Dollhouse. I think it's best for us both.

[pseudo_tsuga]

Thanks for the link. I haven't seen the show, just skimmed your entries on it, and now I'm pretty sure I don't want to.

[meganbmoore]

But you could join in the pain!

[meganbmoore]

But you know, at least Gossip Girl realized that if they wanted us to like a character, maybe they should get away from that quick. (Not that I'm remotely thrilled tht they swept it under the rug.)