We as a culture are obsessed with the "everyday heroes". Or are we? Are we more obsessed with them than with "regular" heroes? What is the difference? And what the hell is a "hero", anyway? One of the "forbidden thoughts about 9/11" that has really stuck with me is, "[a]nd really, what's all this shit about the fireman being heroes? That's their job, to be heroes."
There are ER doctors who save lives every day, rather than rescuing cats once a month. Are they not heroes because they aren't putting themselves in danger? They are surely putting their emotions and psychological well-being in danger; do doctors ever get over losing patients, even after the hundredth, or thousandth?
I think that when it comes to firefighters and cops--and that's who we're discussing right now--part of the hero appeal is their so-called masculinity. Our archetype of a hero is the firefighter, the cop, the soldier, the knight, Hercules. And the behavior of these heroes is masculine, because they are heroes--and they are heroes because they are masculine.
I'm having a difficult time thinking of unacceptable displays of machismo. No, really. Because for it to be unacceptable, it would have to be something else. Are rape and sexual assault unacceptable? I guess. Maybe not. In lots of circles, in highly masculine circles, my understanding--based on reading, etc--is that it's okay to "talk her into it", and that if she was wearing a short skirt, she probably really wanted it and was just playing hard to get. Gay men in the closet will talk about having to fake it, having to pretend to wolf-whistle at women, make cracks about how they want to just grab her and throw her down. These things are accepted, even encouraged.
I did not enjoy Rescue Me. I can respect it as being well-written, and worthy of study, but I would not sit down and watch it as purely entertainment. And I'm worried about people who do. I always worry about people who don't watch things critically. Do I see anti-feminist movies and laugh at the jokes? Sure. Do I watch America's Next Top Model? You bet your ass. But as I'm laughing, I'm analyzing why it's funny, and why it's not okay. As I'm watching, I'm thinking about the messages being sent to women about their bodies. I think it's okay to enjoy things that are anti-feminist, that are casually misogynistic/racist/antisemitic/homophobic. But only if you are aware of those messages. My concern is that too many people watching ANTM are not actively engaging in it, and are just absorbing the message that they are fat and gross, and that too many people watching Rescue Me are simply laughing at the complaints about the woman's voice, without thinking about the underlying sentiment, the underlying misogyny, the societal structures that allow and encourage it, the actions inspired by it, the patriarchy.
Basically what I'm saying is, we need think about the patriarchy more.
"I always worry about people who don't watch things critically. Do I see anti-feminist movies and laugh at the jokes? Sure. Do I watch America's Next Top Model? You bet your ass. But as I'm laughing, I'm analyzing why it's funny, and why it's not okay."
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with this statement. YES. I watch Greys Anatomy, Nip Tuck- all horrible television shows. They depict weak, demoralized women and sometimes encourage notions that are similar to domestic violence. However, I do enjoy watching the shows. I am the first to criticize and analyze and I can feel ok about watching it because I know that I have thought about my own personal values along the way and navigated through the difficult scenes and messages.
However, you are right. What terrifies me is the millions of viewers that don't. Which is why I sort of support censorship sometimes. I just don't think its right for these messages to be exposed to people who don't have strong convictions or an ability/want to think critically. I wonder what kind of people this produces.
::shutters::
"Too many people watching Rescue Me are simply laughing at the complaints about the woman's voice, without thinking about the underlying sentiment, the underlying misogyny, the societal structures that allow and encourage it, the actions inspired by it, the patriarchy."
ReplyDeleteI love how you pointed this out, Abby. I think that you are completely right! So many people of all ages just absorb whatever is being thrown at them without really taking the time to think about it. I believe that this is how so many terrible things become "not a big deal" like the rape scene we read about in the articles. One writer, Jonathan Toomey wrote "Even though she threw a punch and was trying to push him off, she had this weird 'I'm enjoying this immensely' look on her face the whole time. Oh yeah, she liked it." He justifies the rape scene. UNBELIEVABLE! How many young teenage boys watched this episode and deemed it justifiable?