Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Meta-ruination

Is there nothing women cannot ruin?  I would not have thought it possible, but appears that women have even managed to ruin the Strong Independent Woman in film and literature:
I hate Strong Female Characters.

As someone spends a fair amount of time complaining on the internet that there aren’t enough female heroes out there, this may seem a strange and out of character thing to say....

I remember watching Shrek with my mother.

“The Princess knew kung-fu! That was nice,” I said. And yet I had a vague sense of unease, a sense that I was saying it because it was what I was supposed to say.

She rolled her eyes. “All the princesses know kung-fu now.”

No one ever asks if a male character is “strong”. Nor if he’s “feisty,” or “kick-ass” come to that....
So, the creative world has given women the fantasy they demanded and now it turns out that women are unhappy with that.  Proving, once more, that if you want to know what a woman wants, the very last thing you should do is ask her.

When women demanded Strong Female Characters, they were, in essence, demanding "flat, two-dimensional characters who are chiefly significant for their complete lack of both individuality, credibility, and unpredictability". It should therefore come as no surprise that, having been given what they demanded, they are unhappy with the results.

Think about it.  How many women do you know have ever beaten up a man?  How many do you know who genuinely don't take shit from anyone?  Wish fulfillment is one thing, but no amount of wishing that a flamingo was a lion is going to make a flamingo with a mane and a taste for zebra convincing.

Or fulfilling.

The problem with the Strong Female Character is that they aren't even recognizably female. Women are fearful, passive-aggressive, physically weak, and conflict-avoidant.  This does not mean that they necessarily lack courage or character, only that their courage and character tend to take very different forms than they do with men.

Every woman who has ever born a child is more courageous than the average man who has never knowingly risked his life. Every woman who goes to her marriage a virgin has greater character than the average man.  But because feminists are actively opposed to genuine female character and courage, they have attempted to make virtues of ersatz and imitative male characteristics that not only render the subsequent female characters incredible, but boring.

The problem is that we always know what the Strong Female Character will do and say in every situation, because at no point can weakness be shown for fear it will expose the entire fraud.  And characters who lack weakness, who lack doubt, who lack even the basic trappings of genuine humanity, are little more than tedious cardboard.

30 comments:

Revelation Means Hope said...

In interview prepping, they say that you shouldn't try to package the "tell me about your greatest weakness" answer into a disguised strength. Because it immediately tells the hiring manager that you are a liar and fraud.

Giving the modern female lead a fake weakness has made them into fake characters who fail to connect with audiences. Because they are wish fulfillment/fantasy without any touchstone of reality.

Here is the real Princess Fiona weakness: She was a bitch. Annoying. Domineering. I cannot imagine her character nursing a child (orgret?) or doing anything feminine beyond wearing a homosexual designer's dream dress and a tiara.

Yes, it's a cartoon. Yet pretty much every strong grrrrl power character is similar in modern movies. A cartoon.

tz said...

I would think men who enter marriage as a virgin would also have greater character. Identifying "Game" is important but only in the sense of knowing the enemy. The problem from a Christian perspective is how to encourage the Alpha-Sigma traits in such a way that a son ends up a virgin until his wedding night, and not a Roosh or Roissy. I've never heard you laud the former, but there is a respect you appear to give to the latter.

And Alphas often do evil things. When they do, they should no more be "understood" than minority criminal thugs are "understood" by liberal writers.

Women can be strong and confident in the context of Motherhood. Submission to the husband, but running the household.

Slightly OT, but there was a talk on the radio about teens - that 40% of women had "unwanted sex". From the context, it was not all with alphas, but I speculate there is a gamma strategy where the man provides, then weeps and moans and goes full passive-aggressive about being so nice to the girl that it hurts his feelings if she doesn't want to copulate with him. A girl with NO boyfriend may be worse than one with a gamma. Gamma guilt trips may get the girl - she may be revolted but the guilt is stronger.

It may be easier for a young woman who doesn't want to have sex to say "no" to an alpha since the attack is direct and recognized as a temptation and desire. It can be harder to say "no" to a duty - in hamster-speak "is it a sin even if I don't enjoy it"?

Revelation Means Hope said...

Athol uses Princess Fiona as an example in his MMSL blog, which used to annoy me when I still read over there.

I guessed I was the only one who would have cheered if she had been snuffed by the bad guy or something at the end of the first movie.

Kind of like Walking Dead, the main character's wife was incredibly annoying and I was looking forward to her death, if they followed the comic book storyline.

It's sad that modern Hollywood can't portray a strong woman without making her a shrew or bitch. The real frontier women were strong in character, brave, courageous, and utterly feminine to boot. Without being men.

Bobby Dupea said...

The feminist heroine always tames the beast. 100 million trees a year are harvested to explain this in the romance novel industry. 50 Shades of Grey franchise: 95 million copies sold.

Or there's Uma Thurman, being Bruce Lee with a sword. Innovation: great soundtrack. Plot: Uma whacks men.

Or there's Judi Dench as M, who just uses affirmative action and the bureaucratic impulse, to humiliate, "manage", and then manipulate Daniel Craig.

Or there's Hillary Clinton, our most prominent beast-slayer. Her most prominent objective achievement is mapping her career to the requirement of romance novel action heroines. Unfortunately, all drama conforms to the three act model, and we're only in the intermission between Act II and Act III.

Anonymous said...

Another insightful and interesting post. Yup - invulnerably empowered women are tedious an unbelievable characters.

Trust said...

A pastor once told thr church that a woman's tendency to never be satisfied is part of their maternal nature. Specifically, they are never satisfied to deal with raising offspring who are aging and must constantly be taught.

Women in their marriages demand their husbands make more so they can have more options, then go to their workplace (that agreed to let them work fewer hours) and demand they close the pay gap.

They demand more time at home, after they get it they demand their husband (who is working more hours so they can be home) do more chores.

We rightly teach men that their masculine tendencies must be tempered, and properly channeled. It is a tragedy for society that we not only do not teach women this about their feminine tendencies, but we teach them their feelings are paramount.

When women get what they want, they demand something else, even if it is direct conflict with.something else they demanded.

Crowhill said...

In brief, feminism says "only men are interesting."

Dexter said...

Her "solution" is a real blech...

Let us remind ourselves that the actual goal here is not the odd character who’s Strong or Effective or anything else. It’s really very simple, but it would represent a far more profound change than any amount of individual sassy kickassery can ever achieve, and would mean far fewer posters like those above.

Equality.

What do I want instead of a Strong Female Character? I want a male:female character ratio of 1:1 instead of 3:1 on our screens. I want a wealth of complex female protagonists who can be either strong or weak or both or neither, because they are more than strength or weakness. Badass gunslingers and martial artists sure, but also interesting women who are shy and quiet and do, sometimes, put up with others’ shit because in real life there’s often no practical alternative. And besides heroines, I want to see women in as many and varied secondary and character roles as men: female sidekicks, mentors, comic relief, rivals, villains. I want not to be asked, when I try to sell a book about two girls, two boys and a genderless robot, if we couldn’t change one of those girls to a boy.

Anonymous said...

I bought the feminist lies in my youth so as to not even question them. It wasn't until I noticed my real life wasn't working out according to my petulant beliefs and demands that I began to question the legitimacy of my beliefs and demands. I noticed that feminism simply touted maleness in females, that to be empowered, women needed to be like men. No where were feminists championing or supporting women in what they already inherently did well: mothering (except in publications such as Mothering Magazine that demanded family be defined a matriarchy, or else; even one of my liberal friends called it "mothering on steroids"). At that time, I had realized how ill-equipped I was to be a man in the world of work and was fortunate that my husband's income enabled me to stay home, but I continued to feel the guilt/shame of not being a "real" modern woman.

With 6 episodes left until its conclusion, Breaking Bad is already being called one of the best shows in the history of television, and Skyler White has proved to be a very hated character. While essays and reviews are written to explain the phenomenon, it seems to me very simple - Skyler started off a seemingly regular quasi-feminist, then strayed from the model: she didn't deliver Walt from bad to good; she wasn't his moral superior or redeemer as feminism claims woman are. She does not defeat him; instead, seeing no other options (he won't kowtow to her proclamations that she can bring him down), she joins him. She is corrupted by his bad character just as Walt was: by choice. That a female should be so capable of weakness is unacceptable to feminists. While much of the written criticism is that she is spoiling the anti-hero's party, the real loathing - I contend - is that she's not the hero. With several more episodes before the show concludes, who knows where the writers will take her, but that she has responded to her situation by remaining in it is an outrage to modern feminist demands.

Revelation Means Hope said...

Skyler's character was one I hated at the beginning, because she was so typically unthinking American grrrl power feministy. The writers did a great job showing her gradual transformation as she slowly rejects her feminist sense of right and wrong, yet without instrospection and navel gazing over the fact that a strong male lead (her husband or her affair partner) are able to get her to do things she felt were wrong.

She continually wants to turn to big daddy government to pay for treatment, to shelter them from drug lords, and only when Walter calls her bluff does she cave. Not because it is the right thing to do, but because calling the government would get major splashback on HER reputation. Which she promptly rationalizes into concern for her children and brother-in-law.

They have done an excellent job making her real, showing the hypergamous nature, the appeal to authority, the desire for security uber alles.

And the feminists must be totally infuriated.

Doom said...

Yeah, well, I am dissatisfied, but then it isn't something I wanted. Now, about strong female leads though, is that really what women asked to get or is that the tail trying to wag the dog? That's the question I have. I do suspect that is HWood and other infidels of reason trying to impose their notions, not answering a request.

As for strong women? I love them. But they aren't strong like men. They endure, but not physical attacks, they endure what it takes to keep a family together. They are smart, but don't do physics or chemistry or math, they learn how to see a familial or social problem and gently craft and implement solutions. If those work, then they were bright. They hold up against many slings and arrows, but of linguistic and social natures, shielding friends and family when it is right and sometimes anyway, sometimes taking hits for it.

I haven't met a woman who I even thought could be a... brother in arms, equal in or at war, or even worthy of fighting. And I am mostly dead! Bah!

Bob said...

Amusing how they destroy absolutely everything, they're never satisfied unless they're destroying something, even if they're getting what they want.

And as usual it's simply all about attention, they're going hey, notice me! Like a little kid that smashes it's toys allover the room again and again just because they like the sound, and to get someone noticing them.

Then like that little kid, when everything is finally destroyed, they'll sit and cry, and cry, and cry, then wail why everyone is so horrible and not fixing everything...

Stickwick Stapers said...

Long before I became a Red Pill woman, I loathed the Strong Independent Ass-Kickin' Woman character. I remember watching Red Sonya and wondering how in the world that red-headed giraffe could possibly have last 10 seconds against Arnold Schwarzenegger in a sword fight, let alone fight him to a standstill. It's like anything that conflicts with reality -- your mind rebels against it.

My preferred kind of female character in an action movie is the sturdy wife, like Bonnie Bedelia in Die Hard. She showed moral strength by not cowering and not colluding with the bad guys. Instead, she helped the other hostages and generally held it together until hubby could swing in on a rope and blow up the bad guys. And, of course, she fell right back in love with him and reconciled after he saved the day. An admirable character, and totally believable.

LordSomber said...

Strong Women Characters are usually unbelievable because they are not given reasons/motivations for being such.

Notable exceptions: Sarah Connor, Ripley. (Maternal instincts as motivator in these cases)

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

It's gutless betas--*not* women (or do I repeat myself?)--who demanded strong female warrior characters.

Bobby Dupea said...

I have to say that I liked pregnant Sheriff Marge in Fargo. Not as a fantasy object, not as a model of femininity. I'll stick with some version of Thurman for that. But as a rural upper midwestern LEO. I know a lot of women like her who drive trucks down snow-bound roads, and don't raise their voices and see people for what they truly are. They are women without artifice. They go to bed sober. They don't talk about themselves, ever. They have decision trees instead of shiny objects in their heads. And Margie is pretty tough, as are they.

Res Ipsa said...

because feminists are actively opposed to genuine female character and courage, they have attempted to make virtues of ersatz and imitative male characteristics that not only render the subsequent female characters incredible, but boring.

Well said!

The great shame of it all, isn't that feminism has made the modern female evil, which it has, but that it has made her so common that she is of no particular interest to anyone. A wicked women was once tantalizing, which is why Solomon wrote to warn about her. Now wicked is the norm and is ho-hum. The strong independent women isn't just a myth, its an synonym for dull, bitchy and ordinary.

Stickwick Stapers said...

Notable exceptions: Sarah Connor, Ripley. (Maternal instincts as motivator in these cases)

Agreed. Ripley was an especially compelling female action character in the first two Alien movies. She portrayed real courage, which is doing what you gotta do -- within your limits -- in spite of being terrified.

Anonymous said...

When did they decide that female characters couldn't be unrealistic ass-kickers and still act female? I just watched The Fifth Element the other day, and Milla Jovovich does lots of ridiculous Action Girl fighting in it, but there's also a major plot point that she's emotionally fragile and needs love. Aeryn Sun on Farscape was a badass soldier, but also a poster-child for feminine personality disorders. Of course, those were more than a decade ago. I don't watch much new stuff, but it sounds like they stopped trying to show women as having both tough and soft sides, and replaced it with tough and boring.

Well, at least they didn't turn Ender into Endwina.

Unknown said...

"Every woman who has ever born a child is more courageous than the average man who has never knowingly risked his life. Every woman who goes to her marriage a virgin has greater character than the average man."

What nonsense vox. Maybe in the past, but not now.

Anonymous said...

PS. I also came to realize feminism, like many "isms," is really about giving license to and celebrating innate negative behaviors on the basis that the "victim" has been "abused and oppressed" by big bad men (white and Christian, in particular) and thereby must be excused for the bad behavior.

Haus frau said...

"Slightly OT, but there was a talk on the radio about teens - that 40% of women had "unwanted sex". From the context, it was not all with alphas, but I speculate there is a gamma strategy where the man provides, then weeps and moans and goes full passive-aggressive about being so nice to the girl that it hurts his feelings if she doesn't want to copulate with him. A girl with NO boyfriend may be worse than one with a gamma. Gamma guilt trips may get the girl - she may be revolted but the guilt is stronger."
Gammas, with their passive-aggressive guilt trips, have an amazing talent for tapping that feminine need to "fix" people. Women need to mother. I presume that is the redemptive female power that feminists like to trump up.

Weouro said...

Well, at least they didn't turn Ender into Endwina"


They did turn Dap into a woman, I think, though. I guess two important, super-intelligent female characters weren't enough for Hollywood. I bet there will be a lot more female extras in the battle school lunch room than the story suggests.

Unknown said...

The great shame of it all, isn't that feminism has made the modern female evil, which it has, but that it has made her so common that she is of no particular interest to anyone. A wicked women was once tantalizing, which is why Solomon wrote to warn about her. Now wicked is the norm and is ho-hum. The strong independent women isn't just a myth, its an synonym for dull, bitchy and ordinary.
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Anonymous said...

I bet there will be a lot more female extras in the battle school lunch room than the story suggests.

Probably. The book comes right out and says there aren't many girls, because they just don't have the toughness and killer instinct to compete.

Unknown said...

The protrayal of Kiera on Continuum isn't too bad. She's shown crying over missing her baby, etc.

Revelation Means Hope said...

Virlomi and Petra are the only two girls identified as participants in battle school, although it is implied there are others.

Considering that both Valentine and Peter didn't make the cut, it is shown that a very specific mix of talent, personality, extremely high intelligence, and aggression are needed to gain entrance to the school.

The girls bunk with, shower with, eat with, train with, and fight with the boys age 5 to 13.

Unknown said...

I'm a woman and I'm not fearful, passive-aggressive or conflict avoidant. Over the years, there's been a lot of pressure from the outside for me to act that way even when I didn't feel it on the inside. I'm tired of it and I'm tired of society pre-defining who I am as a female and usually getting it wrong. I just want to be myself but I guess that's "tedious cardboard" to the naysayers. Well, I'm over it. Fuck 'em.

Vespasian said...

Kind of goes along with my feelings towards the ending of Iron Man 3 and Pepper's miraculous fighting skills.

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