(no subject)

[chasingtides]

I am home, safe and sound. Tomorrow there will be a big-ass post about how I met a Harcum college student who is secretly Superman, hate SEPTA workers, hate Amtrak, didn't get to the hotel until 3 am, lived on Twizzlers and Coke, pulled muscles, met my brother's girlfriend again, watched my brother graduate, and generally had the two days that never fucking ended. I am too tired now to do it.

Also... I'm getting Dean Evans as a thesis adviser (and presumably first reader), what? Baffled chasingtides is baffled.

But... would someone please explain the feminism wank in the Supernatural fandom? It seems to be reaching massively epic proportions and I'm still baffled. It could be lack of sleep, but... baffled. Maybe you could use small words? I dunno. But this whole OMGtheyallhatewomynsOMG and this whole issue with Malleus Maleficarum (where my biggest issue was the fact that WTF that ain't Sturbridge)... what? I am so, so lost.

Comments

[sgriobadh.livejournal.com]

I've been saving up a list of links. You want on my irritated feminist filter?

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

I've actually been playing chase-the-wank, a skill I've honed with over 10 years in fandom and several in the neo-pagan community, both bastions of internet wankage. However, no matter how many posts I read, I'm still coming up really blank. A lot of it I'm looking at and going, "But... the world doesn't work like that," or, "But they're being cool and meta/actually doing their research." A lot of it is coming up the last one - this season, from what I've seen, is all about the Christian mythology. Christian mythology and theology and dogma is cool and way cracktastic, but it's not nice. It's very not nice. They're being accurate, which counts in my books, but they're not being PC. And then I'm seeing the fan community being conflated with show (in terms of Bela).

Basically, is there any way to explain it, since links and chase-the-wank appear to be failing me?

[sgriobadh.livejournal.com]

We're not wanking about research or neo-paganism or evil witches. Hell, if you wanted to wank about that the first two seasons do have some material (anthropology student, here). No, what's bothering us [?] is the show's general tone towards women, whether they be human or Other.

Now, show's always been iffy when it comes to sexism and racism, but this season is far worse than we've ever seen before. I think the wank is coming when some fangirls get up in arms about, uh, feminist meta/concerns. Have you read sazzlette's post? I got my own personal version of that the first time I posted about the skanky gender issues this season.

So it's become kind of fraught, if you will.

Does that make sense? Some of us think SPN's treating women horribly, and others are up in arms over people harshing their squee.

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

Ok. That makes a bit more sense.

Fandom always harshes you squee. But, the part I'm having trouble with is - why now? How is this season any worse to women (in an not-research-driven-way) than any other season? Personally, I think season one was pretty harsh on women. Then again, I was around for season one, so maybe there was meta/concerns/what-have-you.

[sgriobadh.livejournal.com]

Uh, I'll add you to that filter. Check out my list of links, especially trollprincess. But they're all worth looking at, IMO.

[sgriobadh.livejournal.com]

here (http://sgriobadh.livejournal.com/29580.html#cutid1). Also check out esorlehcar.

[tyloncorp.livejournal.com]

evan huh? could be better could be wrose. hopefully shes as much of a pushover and yet more effeciant in her advisoryness

[deccaboo.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think the fangirls have been harsh on the show's women rather than the writers. Ellen Harvelle is allowed because, y'know, she's like a mother-figure...Jo Harvelle isn't allowed because she likes Dean and Dean kind of likes her and having Jo around gets in the way of the typical fangirl fantasy of being Dean's girl.

There is still a lot of wank about a one-episode shag of Dean's called Cassie. People loathe her and there's no real reason to do so. She appears in a forgettable episode...but I think the fangirls took exception to the fact that Dean genuinely loved Cassie once upon a time and shared the family secret with her.

I know of people who pledged to stop watching SPN because of Bela and Ruby long before the episodes even aired or character bios were published. I also know people who were annoyed that Bela and Ruby would turn into love interests...these same people became annoyed when Bela and Ruby didn't turn into love interests *facepalm*

What angered me about Supernatural was the initial nod towards Paganism, Sam points out the pentacle is a positive symbol, etc etc... but then the Christmas episode broke my brain. I both love it and loathe it; I love it because of the brotherly warmnth and the crap Christmas presents and the tree decorated with Magic Tree air-fresheners *love* but I hate it because they were hatin' on Pagan Gods and got their lore quite badly wrong.

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

Yeah. The Christmas episode sort of broke my brain. They're usually so good at getting their lore right and that... I don't know what that was. That was worse than Buffy-style lore.

[shrewreader.livejournal.com]

Do what?

Weirdness.

This, though, hopefully means you can get this sorted out by around about mid-June.

Honestly. I despair of our despicable inspiration.

[batshua]

Dean Evan is a total sweetheart. You shouldn't expect any assholishness from her.

Many hugs!