Pop culture stuff
Nov. 25th, 2020 11:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Still making my way through She-Rah and the Princesses of Power - I'm on S3 at the moment. It is getting better as it goes, but I wish the animation was better. Ugh.
2. I finally got around to watching Disclosure on Netflix, which I highly recommend. It's not perfect, but it does provide some insight into the transgender community, through their perspective. It's a documentary that focuses on the transgender entertainment community - ie. the actors and actresses within the community, along with the entertainers, and their struggle.
I wish it had gone a bit broader and shown people in the community who were not entertainers. It does to a small extent, so that's something at least.
The problem with the general public's perception of transgender - is they see it through the lens of our media and our media (like in pretty much everything) isn't necessarily accurate in its depictions and has a tendency to generalize.
This documentary really shows the derogatory effects of the media's inaccurate, careless, mindless, and often irresponsible depictions - which have lead to discrimination and prejudice in society at large. It drives home a point that other disadvantaged minorities have made over the past four or five years now - which is we all have to be a bit more mindful in how we depict and view those who are different from ourselves.
No one is saying you can't write a story about someone who isn't like you, just be mindful in how you go about it. And if that's not possible? Maybe think twice about going there. It's important to create from a place of truth within ourselves, and not just to titillate/cater to the masses or ourselves for that matter. That appears to be the general theme.
I agree. I also think people need to be able to express themselves. BUT, they are correct in that to date the expression has been highly derogatory.
That's the problem - across the board actually - the media has sold a derogatory depiction of the disadvantaged minority, seeding hate, intolerance, disgust, etc. And they refuse to take responsibility for it.
So there is a thin line between the right to express oneself and the right to promote or market a negative portrayal/depiction of someone or a group who is not as privileged as we are, has no power and has no way of fighting back. And as a direct result of "our expression" is bullied, discriminated against, killed, or harmed in some way.
Our rights don't include hurting others. Or shouldn't.
And the depictions of the trans community in the 20th Century alone - have been horrific. This film depicts just how horrific they've been and in ways that I didn't quite understand until now. It not only shows it - it also shows real trans folks side by side the cinematic and television depictions.
Jared Leto and Eddie Tremayne's award winning performances are no longer exemplary - when you look at the actual women they are trying to represent.
Showing quite clearly why it is so important for trans women to play those roles, and why those roles aren't necessarily a positive depiction of the trans experience. If anything they are a depiction of the experience through a cis-gender lens, used to validate the cis-gender experience at the expense of the trans.
Too often, one group will be penalized or put down to build up another or to validate another.
That was another take-away that I took from the film. How humans look to television and cinema for validation. At one point in the film, they state that "everyone looks to television and cinema to see someone like themselves represented in a positive way - to obtain that validation". And I thought how incredibly sad. That we all do this. That we need to. The validation, the approval isn't there - and it will never be enough.
I don't really. I see cinema, books, and television as a means of learning things I don't already know or seeing stories of people outside of myself. I don't look at it for validation. And I don't think all transgender folks do either. I do think actors do - it's highly narcissistic and insecure profession. Actors like validation and require approval - or we wouldn't have a million awards shows. And this documentary focuses a bit too heavily on the actors, entertainers, and exhibitionists within the community. Most trans aren't into that, any more than most cis-gender are.
There's a stereotype that if you are trans - you are a drag queen. Not true. I know, I've met several transgender who aren't into that at all.
My other quibble with the film - was the need to showcase all these beautiful women, and not so good-looking men. Which furthers the objectification of the female form. Not all transgender women look like that any more than most women look like that. I really wish they were able to show transgender in other occupations, not just the entertainment profession. The trans-men, you got that, but not so much the women. Also there was a heavy focus on the trans-women.
And finally, I felt they left out those who preferred not to identify with either gender. I've met them too - they go by "they" not she/her or he/him pronouns. Online I met an individual who got very upset when I called "they" a "she". At that time, they wanted to go by hir. They did not want to be identified by either gender. I didn't understand it back then. I do now.
Gender - I've learned, much like sexuality, is a spectrum. And humans tend to lean towards extremes or binary or dual concepts, when in reality we do not live in a binary or dual world. The world isn't black and white, it's in technocolor, whether we like it or not. But it's really hard to wrap your head around all this or to see the world in technocolor, when you've only be trained to see it in black and white. That's where Disclosure succeeds as a film, and why I recommend it - is it depicts how our media and entertainment industry over time has depicted the world in well black and white concepts.
Disclosure - for example - shows how the lesbian and gay communities have trashed the transgender community. Stonewall - they state - was actually the drag queens and trans, but the gay community refused to acknowledge that and white-washed it, kicking out the black drag queens from the narrative.
They also show how the L Word, a lesbian drama depicted a trans-male character in a derogatory fashion. And how many lesbians and feminists fought against the trans community and sidelined it. And how the media has supported this line of thought through television, commercials, and cinematic depictions.
It is changing however, and the film celebrates those changes. Oprah does an about face, for example. In a 1990s interview - Oprah asks uncomfortable and offensive questions, and is far from mindful, and actually judgmental of her transgender guest. But in 2019 interview, a much older and wiser Oprah, is more mindful and kinder. She learns from her past mistakes. As does Ryan Murphy - whose early 00s series Nip/Tuck is offensive in how it handles transgender. But in 2016-2020 - he produces POSE, a look inside the transgender community, along with 9-1-1 Lone Star which features a transmale actor in the role of a firefighter. Also his writing is less offensive or hurtful, and far kinder in tone. And the trans community itself has become more outspoken and stronger than it was before - and far more represented in media. Now, trans roles are in fact portrayed by trans men and women in cartoons and television shows. That's a huge change from a few years ago.
In addition, Caitlin Jenner, a conservative Republican and Transgender woman, has raised awareness through her reality series - depicting the broad range of transwoman, and kicking aside stereotypes. (Which is shown on the series).
The film gets across how things have changed and how they need to continue to change for the better.
Overall, I'd state it is a good documentary and definitely worth a watch. It accomplishes its central aim - which is to raise awareness regarding how transgender folks have been depicted in our media and the resulting effects of that in society at large. And it did hammer home, perhaps a bit too much, that we all need to be more mindful in our depictions of the other, particularly the disenfranchised other.
At one point, they state that they wonder if the filmmakers the provided derogatory depictions - intended to do harm? Or even knew it? (No, I thought. I doubt they thought about it or cared. Most of the horrible things we do are done without thought. Usually just an emotional/knee-jerk reaction. We aren't thinking or caring about the other person, we're just thinking about ourselves. It's kind of like the folks who aren't wearing mask during the pandemic or having huge weddings - it really doesn't occur to them that they are hurting or endangering others with their actions. They are just thinking - I hate wearing masks. Or I planned this wedding years in advance, I don't want to be inconvenienced. They aren't thinking past that. When someone hurts you, they aren't thinking about you - you aren't relevant to them - they are only thinking about themselves. IT's about them. It's taken me a long time to get that, and to figure out why mindfulness is so important. I need to be mindful of how I react to folks, but being human - it's a fifty-fifty chance I won't be on any given day.)
My quibbles have more to do with why I'm not overly fond of documentaries. (I don't find watching talking heads all that interesting and I felt it dwelled too much on one sector of the trans-community and not enough on the rest, which is the problematic nature of documentary film-making. The documentary filmmaker has a tendency to focus to much on just one corner of the room or the corner that they identify with or find interesting. But to get at what I want from this - they'd have to do a series.)
2. I finally got around to watching Disclosure on Netflix, which I highly recommend. It's not perfect, but it does provide some insight into the transgender community, through their perspective. It's a documentary that focuses on the transgender entertainment community - ie. the actors and actresses within the community, along with the entertainers, and their struggle.
I wish it had gone a bit broader and shown people in the community who were not entertainers. It does to a small extent, so that's something at least.
The problem with the general public's perception of transgender - is they see it through the lens of our media and our media (like in pretty much everything) isn't necessarily accurate in its depictions and has a tendency to generalize.
This documentary really shows the derogatory effects of the media's inaccurate, careless, mindless, and often irresponsible depictions - which have lead to discrimination and prejudice in society at large. It drives home a point that other disadvantaged minorities have made over the past four or five years now - which is we all have to be a bit more mindful in how we depict and view those who are different from ourselves.
No one is saying you can't write a story about someone who isn't like you, just be mindful in how you go about it. And if that's not possible? Maybe think twice about going there. It's important to create from a place of truth within ourselves, and not just to titillate/cater to the masses or ourselves for that matter. That appears to be the general theme.
I agree. I also think people need to be able to express themselves. BUT, they are correct in that to date the expression has been highly derogatory.
That's the problem - across the board actually - the media has sold a derogatory depiction of the disadvantaged minority, seeding hate, intolerance, disgust, etc. And they refuse to take responsibility for it.
So there is a thin line between the right to express oneself and the right to promote or market a negative portrayal/depiction of someone or a group who is not as privileged as we are, has no power and has no way of fighting back. And as a direct result of "our expression" is bullied, discriminated against, killed, or harmed in some way.
Our rights don't include hurting others. Or shouldn't.
And the depictions of the trans community in the 20th Century alone - have been horrific. This film depicts just how horrific they've been and in ways that I didn't quite understand until now. It not only shows it - it also shows real trans folks side by side the cinematic and television depictions.
Jared Leto and Eddie Tremayne's award winning performances are no longer exemplary - when you look at the actual women they are trying to represent.
Showing quite clearly why it is so important for trans women to play those roles, and why those roles aren't necessarily a positive depiction of the trans experience. If anything they are a depiction of the experience through a cis-gender lens, used to validate the cis-gender experience at the expense of the trans.
Too often, one group will be penalized or put down to build up another or to validate another.
That was another take-away that I took from the film. How humans look to television and cinema for validation. At one point in the film, they state that "everyone looks to television and cinema to see someone like themselves represented in a positive way - to obtain that validation". And I thought how incredibly sad. That we all do this. That we need to. The validation, the approval isn't there - and it will never be enough.
I don't really. I see cinema, books, and television as a means of learning things I don't already know or seeing stories of people outside of myself. I don't look at it for validation. And I don't think all transgender folks do either. I do think actors do - it's highly narcissistic and insecure profession. Actors like validation and require approval - or we wouldn't have a million awards shows. And this documentary focuses a bit too heavily on the actors, entertainers, and exhibitionists within the community. Most trans aren't into that, any more than most cis-gender are.
There's a stereotype that if you are trans - you are a drag queen. Not true. I know, I've met several transgender who aren't into that at all.
My other quibble with the film - was the need to showcase all these beautiful women, and not so good-looking men. Which furthers the objectification of the female form. Not all transgender women look like that any more than most women look like that. I really wish they were able to show transgender in other occupations, not just the entertainment profession. The trans-men, you got that, but not so much the women. Also there was a heavy focus on the trans-women.
And finally, I felt they left out those who preferred not to identify with either gender. I've met them too - they go by "they" not she/her or he/him pronouns. Online I met an individual who got very upset when I called "they" a "she". At that time, they wanted to go by hir. They did not want to be identified by either gender. I didn't understand it back then. I do now.
Gender - I've learned, much like sexuality, is a spectrum. And humans tend to lean towards extremes or binary or dual concepts, when in reality we do not live in a binary or dual world. The world isn't black and white, it's in technocolor, whether we like it or not. But it's really hard to wrap your head around all this or to see the world in technocolor, when you've only be trained to see it in black and white. That's where Disclosure succeeds as a film, and why I recommend it - is it depicts how our media and entertainment industry over time has depicted the world in well black and white concepts.
Disclosure - for example - shows how the lesbian and gay communities have trashed the transgender community. Stonewall - they state - was actually the drag queens and trans, but the gay community refused to acknowledge that and white-washed it, kicking out the black drag queens from the narrative.
They also show how the L Word, a lesbian drama depicted a trans-male character in a derogatory fashion. And how many lesbians and feminists fought against the trans community and sidelined it. And how the media has supported this line of thought through television, commercials, and cinematic depictions.
It is changing however, and the film celebrates those changes. Oprah does an about face, for example. In a 1990s interview - Oprah asks uncomfortable and offensive questions, and is far from mindful, and actually judgmental of her transgender guest. But in 2019 interview, a much older and wiser Oprah, is more mindful and kinder. She learns from her past mistakes. As does Ryan Murphy - whose early 00s series Nip/Tuck is offensive in how it handles transgender. But in 2016-2020 - he produces POSE, a look inside the transgender community, along with 9-1-1 Lone Star which features a transmale actor in the role of a firefighter. Also his writing is less offensive or hurtful, and far kinder in tone. And the trans community itself has become more outspoken and stronger than it was before - and far more represented in media. Now, trans roles are in fact portrayed by trans men and women in cartoons and television shows. That's a huge change from a few years ago.
In addition, Caitlin Jenner, a conservative Republican and Transgender woman, has raised awareness through her reality series - depicting the broad range of transwoman, and kicking aside stereotypes. (Which is shown on the series).
The film gets across how things have changed and how they need to continue to change for the better.
Overall, I'd state it is a good documentary and definitely worth a watch. It accomplishes its central aim - which is to raise awareness regarding how transgender folks have been depicted in our media and the resulting effects of that in society at large. And it did hammer home, perhaps a bit too much, that we all need to be more mindful in our depictions of the other, particularly the disenfranchised other.
At one point, they state that they wonder if the filmmakers the provided derogatory depictions - intended to do harm? Or even knew it? (No, I thought. I doubt they thought about it or cared. Most of the horrible things we do are done without thought. Usually just an emotional/knee-jerk reaction. We aren't thinking or caring about the other person, we're just thinking about ourselves. It's kind of like the folks who aren't wearing mask during the pandemic or having huge weddings - it really doesn't occur to them that they are hurting or endangering others with their actions. They are just thinking - I hate wearing masks. Or I planned this wedding years in advance, I don't want to be inconvenienced. They aren't thinking past that. When someone hurts you, they aren't thinking about you - you aren't relevant to them - they are only thinking about themselves. IT's about them. It's taken me a long time to get that, and to figure out why mindfulness is so important. I need to be mindful of how I react to folks, but being human - it's a fifty-fifty chance I won't be on any given day.)
My quibbles have more to do with why I'm not overly fond of documentaries. (I don't find watching talking heads all that interesting and I felt it dwelled too much on one sector of the trans-community and not enough on the rest, which is the problematic nature of documentary film-making. The documentary filmmaker has a tendency to focus to much on just one corner of the room or the corner that they identify with or find interesting. But to get at what I want from this - they'd have to do a series.)