Tag: seidrade

seidrade
replied to your post “I know you talked about the elevator scene before, but what are your…”

I just stumbled on this thread (I think it’s even longer on @foundlingmother ‘s page?) and just wanted to say thank you both because after talking to each of you individually then reading this, I feel like I have a much better read on the whole situation (in context of Thor 3 both alone and in light of the previous films.) I feel more comfortable acknowledging inconsistent/bad writing instead of trying to give too much credit where it isn’t due.

The thing that was esp. tripping me up was reconciling Thor’s behaviour (because in some ways it’s consistent with his earlier issues and in other ways it seems pretty OOC, which was throwing me off.) Thanks for delving into the inherent issues and then addressing how/why Ragnarok could have tackled them differently via Thor’s characterization in particular (but failed to.) We were given a facade of reconciliation and its nice to pull back the curtain and figure out why it wasn’t really that.

Heh, @seidrade, it sounds like you went through the same process as I did, only a few months later. In one respect, I’m sorry; it’s disappointing to realize that the conclusion to a series that means a lot to you is just bad and you can’t salvage it. But on the other hand, I know how frustrating it is to be dissatisfied with something but not quite able to pinpoint why, so you’re welcome for helping with that.

It’s reassuring to know that saying variations on the same thing over and over again can actually help someone break through a difficulty. I kind of feel like one of those weirdos (or hobo!Odin) who stands on a street corner preaching repentance; most of the people who see it will probably just be indifferent, annoyed, or offended, but if I can reach one person it feels like it’s worth it. Or maybe it’s like teaching history of philosophy to undergrads… you keep trying different ways to explain something and it can be frustrating and dispiriting but you see a lightbulb go on in one student’s head and it’s all worthwhile.

seidrade replied to your post “seidrade replied to your post “spikedbat:

joss whedon: loki…”

I haven’t followed much of what’s going on with accusations against him but I’m sure it’s not great. Unfortunately right now we’re in this great societal quandary over whether we accept the art and artist as separate entities or not. And right now I think we’re simultaneously claiming the author has less authority over the work and the meaning lies with those interpreting it— yet the work is punished for the sins of the creator when they go down in flames. It’s a strange paradox.

Well, so far there haven’t been any actual sexual harassment or assault accusations, as far as I know. It’s mostly problems with his depictions of women and their roles, and then what his ex-wife said about him (that he described himself as being constantly tempted by “desperate” young women “throwing themselves at him”).

I’m no slavering “death of the author” deconstructionist, but I do think that works of art can be separated from parts of the author’s life that aren’t related to the content of the work. It gets messier when the work seems to justify the creator’s sins, as with some of Woody Allen’s films (Manhattan and Irrational Man, I gather, both apologize for older men who become involved with very young women). I also think that you can object to some components of a work (the characterization of Black Widow in the Avengers films, perhaps – though I think I don’t have as much of a problem with it as some people) while still appreciating others. Unfortunately, people on this site seem to have difficulty with nuance, moral ambiguity, and partial judgments – there’s a lot of black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking (or moral rigorism, as the philosophers put it).

seidrade replied to your post “spikedbat:

joss whedon: loki tortures and murders people for fun,…”

@philosopherking1887 I’m remarkably neutral about him as a creator, haha. I quite like some of his work and have some genuine critiques, but I’ve never felt he was either the media saviour or villain he’s been alternately taken for. (Did this just get meta?)

No, I don’t think that’s a meta-answer… unless you’re alluding to the parallel with our attitudes toward Loki (i.e., neither the savior/victim/woobie nor the villain he’s been alternately taken for)?

I entirely agree with your attitude to Joss Whedon as you just expressed it… though maybe I’m more fond of his work, which is why I get so annoyed when it’s constantly being trashed for bad reasons. I certainly wouldn’t describe him as a media savior… this may be an attitude that predates my engagement with fandom, and likely accounts for a large part of the backlash – i.e., people were putting unrealistic hopes and expectations on him, so they turned around and vilified him to an excessive degree when he disappointed them.