[ SECRET POST #4500 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4500 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.


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03.
[Neil Gaiman's Good Omens and American Gods]


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04.
[Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky]


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05.
[Letterkenny]


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06.
[The Umbrella Academy]


















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 07 secrets from Secret Submission Post #644.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with the basic argument that a big chunk of fandom tends to be very ready to hate white, straight male characters - essentially for being imperfect while white, straight, and male.

That said, I am someone who has a disproportionately large percentage of white, straight male faves - many of whom are characters that it is very popular to hate on. And I still strongly dislike Luther.

I don't think he's irredeemable (whatever that even means), but he's unlikely to be a character I ever fully warm to. And that's because I find him controlling and self-righteous and...paternalistic, basically. And it's an entirely logical bit of characterization for him to be the sibling that most clearly mirrors behaviors he learned from his "father." But I just have no patience for "I know best; I make the decisions for everyone and I'll enforce them if I need to" type characters.

I might have a little bit more patience for him if he were gay or female, because at least then his domineering attitude would be a bit of a subversion of standard character tropes. But even then I think his bullshit would get old really fast.

[(Anonymous)]

Where are we actually getting the idea that fandom disportionately hates straight white male characters? That seems bizarrely unfounded to me, especially given the legions of straight white male fandom faves. And fandom certainly has women characters it hates, at least.

Also, I think Umbrella Academy is a show where everyone is terrible, and which characters you're willing to forgive for it is just a reflection of taste to a certain extent, but even more than that, a reflection of one's own personal issues. Including myself here.

[(Anonymous)]

Where are we actually getting the idea that fandom disportionately hates straight white male characters? That seems bizarrely unfounded to me, especially given the legions of straight white male fandom faves.

I think just existing in fandom makes it pretty clear than fandom disproportionately both loves and hates straight white male characters. I would say the disproportionate love is probably more ubiquitous than the disproportionate hate, but one very much does not preclude the other.

which characters you're willing to forgive for it is just a reflection of taste to a certain extent, but even more than that, a reflection of one's own personal issues.

I largely agree with this.

However, I think the fact that a domineering character is white and male definitely does make it more likely that they will rub some people the wrong way, specifically because it plays directly into (completely valid) issues people already have about white privilege, male privilege, and how that privilege tends to shape the way men and white people conduct themselves in society.

[(Anonymous)]

+1

[(Anonymous)]

I'm curious... did you feel the same way about Alison and her checking up on Vanya and Vanya's love interest? She wasn't wrong about the guy (whose name I cannot remember right now) but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way at the time. It was maternalistic in the way that Luther is paternalistic. She and Vanya didn't have that kind of relationship where she could interfere and I agreed with Vanya that it did seem kind of... well, irritating, given the failure of Alison's own marriage.

[(Anonymous)]

It bothered me a little bit, but it also bothered me that Vanya was being willfully blind about him. So I was pretty torn.

Mainly, I think what Alison was doing wasn't the same, at that point, because she wasn't actually forcing her own will onto Vanya. She was being nosy and a little insensitive maybe, but that's about it.

But then later she definitely DID try to force her own will onto Vanya, in the worst possible way, and that was tremendously fucked up. And yeah you're right; the scene where she tries to use her powers against Vanya, "for her own good," is very controlling in an "I know best" way.

I suppose part of what makes me forgive Alison a little more, even though what she does is so horrible, is that she knows her power is wrong and is trying really hard not to use it. And when she does fuck up (big time) and try to use it on Vanya, she does it in a moment of near-panic, where she doesn't really have time to think things through. And then she seems to recognize that she fucked up almost immediately afterwards, and feel remorse. None of which is true for Luther when he makes controlling decisions that affect all of them.

Also, Luther enforces his decisions on everyone. There's no democracy, no equality in it. It doesn't seem to matter how many of them disagree with him; he's right and they're wrong.