InsaneJournal

RAAAAAGE.
I'm currently a little pissed off at the fandoms I'm in at the moment, but not really at any one person. But I am pissed off, so lemme vent a bit.

1. A single crossover doesn't "ruin" a character. Yes, it's a really stupid crossover and it makes no sense, but it's not the first, and it's by far not the worst. And it happens to be tied to a major part of the universe, so chances are things will right themselves and return to "status quo" soon enough. Again, it's not the first time this has happened. It's still stupid, hackneyed, boring shit. But it takes a lot more than 6 issues to "ruin" a major figure with several decades' worth of history. Maybe it sours your enjoyment of their current run, sure, but "ruin" is unjustifiably harsh. Or maybe I've just hit a point of continuity-apathy that makes it easier for me to say "fuck this, it'll get rewritten in two years anyway" these days.

2. Characters are not their creators. Please stop assuming that because of a few panels that seem to support one character's point of view that the writer and/or artist agrees with the viewpoint being expressed. Call it weak for not getting the meaning across. However, a persistent use of panels supporting that viewpoint is supporting that viewpoint, and justifiably needs to get bitched about. So don't gripe and complain when someone actually points out a legitimate problem just because you never fucking noticed it.

3. Everyone using the word "canon" to apply to comics - really needs to read Jeff Parker's thoughts on the word's usage. Because his viewpoint is something I agree with immensely. And it's getting a little obnoxious dealing with people who keep trying to insist, through their rage, that everything really happened, yes, even that KITTY PRYDE, AGENT OF SHIELD monstrosity (to use an example that isn't an objection that's been raised, yet), no matter how much it seems to piss them off that it exists.

4. "Fannish entitlement" and "feminist outrage" are not the same fucking things, you dickheads; justifiable feelings of disenfranchisement do not equal the same thing as bitching about whether Kyle Rayner could beat Hal Jordan in a fight. The former is "feminist outrage", because these are fucking universal power fantasies and "universal" implies it includes everyone, not just white guys. The latter is "fannish entitlement" because the answer is always and ever going to be "depends on the writer" and it has nothing to do with anything beyond getting irritated that your favorite character can't beat someone else's favorite character. This is also not to say that fannish entitlement can't be an amazingly fun practice to engage in, but that ultimately it serves no purpose beyond acting as continuity porn for fans to jack off to (remember kids, masturbation is awesome and might even prevent prostate cancer!).

5. Just because you've been textually manipulated to despise a certain character does not mean it's therefore awesome to see the character get the crap kicked out of him in the middle of a real-life disaster area in such a way that it's implied the disaster is simply yet another notch in the list of grievances between the two characters. Especially not when the two characters in question are rich white men fighting over territory that, in real life, is full of poor black men and women and children and throughout the issue there is not one single on-panel appearance of even a background person of color. And . . . there is no outrage over this. There is only a perverse glee at seeing this one superhero get his ass kicked in what is an incredibly unsatisfactory manner, as it does not cause any revaluation of his stance nor does it resolve any of the reasons the fight happened at all. They simply fought, one guy lost, and then any actual dealing with the problem was put off "for another time". And it's a pair of rich white guys. Fighting with an audience of white guys watching. In a predominantly black part of the world. And you people are happy with this?

6. "Gay" is not a synonym for "black". Performing non-heterosexual acts onstage is not an expression of minstrelsy. Bisexuality exists. Pretending all is right with the world just because of these facts doesn't necessarily compute. Nonheterosexual performances are not necessarily working in favor of GLBT causes, and "I've read the fanfiction" sounds more like a perverse joke at fannish expense than honest support. It's fine to write stories about them being in love or having sex; it's not fine to assume your fanfic and reality match. "I thank god for Bob Bryar" means a lot of things. And kisses can be practiced, kisses can be believable, without being true. These are performers, and they know what it means to act. But people conflating a performance of staged sexuality with blackface make me want to punch things till my knuckles bleed. There is real bravery in a male/male kiss on a tour attended by homophobic metalheads and punk rockers, whether the kiss itself is real or not; it is sending a message of defiant acceptance regardless of its truth, because under the current cultural overtones it can be nothing else. "I've read the fanfiction", however, still feels like a punch to the face of fandom.

7. It's really funny how you people can argue that anime and manga are more appealing to women and then turn around and write an essay on gender roles and applaud dating sims and harem anime as expressing something deep and true about male/female relationships as a way of expressing "what men really want from their women, what they ache for in their loving hearts" and not realize how fucking disturbed this makes you sound. It almost makes me long for the days when you were bitching about how much the new giant robot shows suck. Except for how you thought they sucked compared to more stupid fucking harem anime. You can all go die in a fire.

8. Don't ask me when I'm going to buy the HEROES DVDs. Just fucking don't. I will end you. Not even comics have managed to shove so many women into so many fridges in a single storyline. And you think I want to own something that vile and anti-feminist? Don't make me fucking laugh.