A Brief Moment of Unintentional Hilarity:
Okay, this amuses me, for some reason.
I mean, regardless of one's opinion on the actual debated topic (Arisia's costume*), it's hard not to appreciate the very funny and mildly irksome fact that a couple of comic book fans are accusing another of over-analysis.
These are guys who'll spend hours debating the merits of Golden Age versus Silver and/or Modern Age, which character is the real Green Lantern, or who's the more powerful in any given situation. But if someone dares to bring that same level of analysis to something like a heroine's costume it's "reading too much into it"?
I'm thinking this sort of thing might be a clue why so many feminists are temperamental. Just a thought.
(* for the record, while I understand the arguments on both sides, I have absolutely no opinion one way or another on Arisia's costume. This however, I have an opinion on.)
I mean, regardless of one's opinion on the actual debated topic (Arisia's costume*), it's hard not to appreciate the very funny and mildly irksome fact that a couple of comic book fans are accusing another of over-analysis.
These are guys who'll spend hours debating the merits of Golden Age versus Silver and/or Modern Age, which character is the real Green Lantern, or who's the more powerful in any given situation. But if someone dares to bring that same level of analysis to something like a heroine's costume it's "reading too much into it"?
I'm thinking this sort of thing might be a clue why so many feminists are temperamental. Just a thought.
(* for the record, while I understand the arguments on both sides, I have absolutely no opinion one way or another on Arisia's costume. This however, I have an opinion on.)
Labels: Things that made me laugh
posted by kalinara @ 9:26 AM
12 Comments:
At September 24, 2006 11:41 AM,
Anonymous said…
I think it's just that people tend to accuse others of their own bad behavior.
"Have fun taking things waaaaaay too seriously than need be." Indeed, etrigan001, indeed.
At September 24, 2006 11:53 AM,
Anonymous said…
I loved the "it's not necessary to turn everything into the feminist analysis" comment. Gee, maybe if peole gave a darn what women thought, we wouldn't need to turn a feminist lens on it, now would we?
Long-time lurker, first-time poster.
At September 24, 2006 2:35 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hypocrisy broke out...hilarity ensued...
At September 24, 2006 7:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
I saw this from links at When Dan Girls Attack and the Zamaron sites. It was interesting to me. Not having those kind of body issues as a guy, it was something to think about. But it shows little imagination when a person just has to remark, and all that can be said is that you are taking things too far. This is the fanboy way of trying to "win" a discussion but know they have nothing to contribute.
It is funny to see.
Have you thought about switching to Beta, once you learn it it is easier in many ways. Makes posting easier for those of us already there.
At September 24, 2006 10:26 PM,
Anonymous said…
Er... how WAS Arisia resurrected, anyway? I mean, Major Force did a pretty brutal number on her.
At September 24, 2006 11:08 PM,
Steven said…
According to that trustworthy source the Cyborg Superman...
she got better.
Yeah, that's about it.
At September 24, 2006 11:19 PM,
kalinara said…
ununnilium: Hee.
technocracygirl: Welcome! :-) And yeah, basically. I don't think they're being idiots on purpose...but that doesn't mean they're not idiots.
chuck: Yep.
palladin: I'm considering beta. Haven't decided yet though. Maybe. I've heard it's interesting.
dan and steven: Yep. She got better. To be fair though, this is actually building off something Beau Smith had going in Warrior, I think. There were a number of occasions in the series where Arisia took a bad injury, including a really nasty one in the back, and actually healed much faster than she should have according to the other characters.
There are rumors that if Warrior had continued, Smith had intended to resurrect her himself with a similar alien justification. So it does...kinda...work. :-)
At September 25, 2006 1:37 PM,
SallyP said…
Well, but those guys were just discussing IMPORTANT FANBOY things!
And they all seemed pretty ok with having poor Arisia practially falling out of her costume. As for Ragnell's bringing it up, and quite mildly, that's just spoiling the FUN! Let's go back to discussing whether or not Alan is right or left handed.
At September 25, 2006 1:44 PM,
Zaratustra said…
But did you notice how every single Green Lantern is friggin' ripped, even though he basically is using a electric wheelchair at all times? I bet there's a built-in 'Ab-Shaper' function. AND THEY ALL USE IT.
At September 25, 2006 5:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Wait- have they shown Guy's reaction to Arisia returning yet??
At September 26, 2006 1:18 PM,
SallyP said…
Have they show Guy's reaction to Arisia yet? Nope, and I really want to see it. I don't think Hal really has a clue about how Guy and even Kilowog feel about Arisia and it could get very interesting.
At September 28, 2006 11:50 AM,
Anonymous said…
Something I notice:
Your almost never see an argument or response in these arguments from the male hetero readers of "[Female character's] costume is sexy and I think it's hot. Obviously it is designed for this purpose. I read [Female character] in part because it is appealing this way. Let's not pretend this is something it is not."
They may or may not be threatened by a feminist critique because of their personal feelings on feminism or mysogny.
They DEFINITELY are threatened by a feminist critique because they are not comfortable enough in their own sexuality to respond to an acknowlegement of male gaze.
Think of it this way- if a female reader posted how she liked Nightwing's costume in part because he is drawn with an appealing body, I think most people would shrug it off. NO ONE would come up with tortured reasonings why his ass had to be in spandex.
And I have seen several male gay comics bloggers post approvingly (and sometimes comedically) about the attractiveness of characters they like.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are already scared of girls, you will not only deny that a feminist interpretation is legitimate, you will ALSO deny your obvious interest in women. Saying "I like it but I know it's exploitation" is not possible for them.
Look for my upcoming monograph: Supergirl is hot: Interpreting the hermeneutics of Silver Age desire and its relevance to the Marvel revolution.
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