Yeah, I mean, the history of whitewashing and discrimination in western media has produced a very understandable anger. I think it paradoxically made Khan less racist to whitewash him, but it's a very special set of circumstances.
Same goes for the accusation of Uhura being anti-feminist because she should be a 'strong black woman who don't need no man',
I think her portrayal in the first film was pretty damn sexist because how that relationship was presented, not because she had it. Though yeah, the main female character having to be romantically involved with someone? I'm just so tired of it.
I loved her portrayal in Into Darkness, though! Maybe they listened to the criticism. And I liked her interaction with both Spock and Kirk very much.
I still don't like that the relationship exists (though I love both characters) because it messes up Spock's characterisation that it started when it did. So I suppose my problem with it is the timing? Also, I ship K/S, so I don't want any of them to be seriously involved with anyone else, of course, but that's no criticism of the S/U relationship in canon, just a personal disappointment. ^^;
there usually is a very strong under-representation of WOC who are in a functioning, lasting relationship with any main (white or not) character.
Yes, and this is exacerbated by the fact that women in general are under-represented in media. Add racial discrimination to this, and the roles female non-white actors have are reduced to almost nothing.
But the film Cloud Atlas that I saw this year had as its main pairing the characters played by Halle Berry and Tom Hanks, and it was beautiful. Also, the love story between two of the other main characters played by Bae Doona (a Korean actress) and Jim Sturgess was also very moving. But yeah, it should definitely be more common.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2013-05-24 07:42 pm (UTC)Same goes for the accusation of Uhura being anti-feminist because she should be a 'strong black woman who don't need no man',
I think her portrayal in the first film was pretty damn sexist because how that relationship was presented, not because she had it. Though yeah, the main female character having to be romantically involved with someone? I'm just so tired of it.
I loved her portrayal in Into Darkness, though! Maybe they listened to the criticism. And I liked her interaction with both Spock and Kirk very much.
I still don't like that the relationship exists (though I love both characters) because it messes up Spock's characterisation that it started when it did. So I suppose my problem with it is the timing? Also, I ship K/S, so I don't want any of them to be seriously involved with anyone else, of course, but that's no criticism of the S/U relationship in canon, just a personal disappointment. ^^;
there usually is a very strong under-representation of WOC who are in a functioning, lasting relationship with any main (white or not) character.
Yes, and this is exacerbated by the fact that women in general are under-represented in media. Add racial discrimination to this, and the roles female non-white actors have are reduced to almost nothing.
But the film Cloud Atlas that I saw this year had as its main pairing the characters played by Halle Berry and Tom Hanks, and it was beautiful. Also, the love story between two of the other main characters played by Bae Doona (a Korean actress) and Jim Sturgess was also very moving. But yeah, it should definitely be more common.