Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! - Damnable Demagoguery
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Keichitsu0305
|
|
|||||
No problem. 
|
||||||
LunarBluestone
 Posts: 85 |
|
|||||
Since no one else will answer, here is the link: http://bit.ly/N4K7mX It's pretty personal and powerful. Brian is pretty brave to bring it up. |
||||||
|
||||||
Sunday Silence
 Posts: 2047 |
|
|||||
|
If you really want an answer to why Lesbianism gets a flying pass and Gays get the shaft (pun not intended), look to the Porn Industry for your answer.
Girl-on-Girl and "Faux Lesbianism" sells units/downloads/views. Entire porn series are exclusively devoted to Girl-on-Girl action (Where the Boys Aren't...., No Mans Land, and Leather Bound Dykes from Hell off the top of my head....) not to mention a good portion of kink.com's library (with some minor flaws here and there) and a hell load of other porn websites have mostly girl-on-girl (or multiple girls period) videos and photosets. It's "socially acceptable" to put it in blunt terms. Compared to Gay Porn, it's more of a niche market. Not too many people go for it. Plus once you get into the intricacies of Gay Porn, it becomes even more apparent. The whole Seme and Uke tropes that define Yaoi aren't there in Porn. You got Seme/Seme and Uke/Uke, but no Seme/Uke. Even the Seme's in Porn aren't the clean cut boytoys seen in Yaoi. They are.....more muscular, more hardened, more....hairier. Hell, look at the more mainstream entertainment venues. Batwoman is a lesbian and garnered NO grief, but once you turn spoiler[Green Lantern] gay, and all hell breaks loose. |
||||||
|
||||||
TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5824 Location: Virginia, United States |
|
|||||
|
Like anything else, the term 'political correctness' can be overused. Nonetheless, it still is a valid concept.
I grew up in a secular household, where Christmas was not about Jesus, but rather Santa Claus and the spirit of giving and Easter was not about Jesus, but rather the Easter Bunny and candy. So because of political correctness, we name Easter vacation after the debauchery that is Spring Break, and the words Easter and Christmas are verboten. |
||||||
|
||||||
dandelion_rose
 Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
That was powerful. As for the yuri vs. yaoi thing -- I've always thought that in anime and manga fandom, at least in manga, yaoi was way bigger. There seems to be a lot more wink-wink in the yaoi direction than there is towards yuri. Yuri in comparison is a lot smaller a niche. |
||||||
|
||||||
TitanXL
 Posts: 4036 |
|
|||||
As someone who doesn't read comic anymore, how did they out Batwoman? Because the thing you linked to reeks of a typical superhero comic publicity stunt. They want to generate press and controversy to boost sales, not because they want actual gay characters (you don't see them outing Sailor Uranus or Neptune with some huge publicity stunt of "Guess which Sailor Soldier is gay!" Not to mention apparently it's not even the 'main universe' it's some alternate universe which means they can easily shut the whole thing down if it goes south without it affecting the main continuity. I can see why people are upset over it given the way it's handled here. It's just like when they announced Captain America or Superman was going to die years ago, then they came back. They're not interested in creating a story, just an event to boost sales. Plus judging from the comments on that site, he has a wife and kids, so I suppose them just saying "that actually was all a lie" could piss some people off. Last edited by TitanXL on Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
Fencedude5609
 Posts: 5088 |
|
|||||
Its somewhat interesting how this works. There is more "casual" yuri, teasing, subtle hints, that sort of thing, in mainstream anime and manga than there is for Yaoi. However, there is vastly more EXPLICIT Yaoi works than pure Yuri (ie: things that aren't predominantly het, with a yuri scene or two sprinkled in). Hell, there are more dedicated Futanari Ero anime and games than there are yuri ones. I can name precisely three "pure" yuri Ero Anime, and one of them requires you justifying a sexbot growing a penis because, well, she's a robot. There are significantly more Yaoi ero works than that. So yeah, its not as straightforward as it looks, and in recent years Yuri has certainly gained a stronger footing in "mainstream" works, to the point where explicitly lesbian characters are no longer jokes. Yaoi/gay male characters are lagging behind on this point. But if you just want porn? Way easier for Yaoi fans. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Shenl742
Posts: 1524 |
|
|||||
It actually got leaked accidently, and it was afforded a lot more publicity then the writer, Greg Rucka, intended. And there pretty much was a lot of controversy, with a lot of the standard "this is just a publicity stunt" as well as accusations of "lipstick lesbianism..." ...which all ended up being for nothing because Batwoman ended up being very warmly accepted by all and has been a long time headliner. It probably helps that Rucka has shown to have really good experience writing gay women (see Renee Montoya in Gotham Central) and her flashback story regarding her struggles in the military while under Don't Ask Don't Tell were not only well written but well researched, and as a closeted service-member, you have NO idea how appreciative I am of that. This whole GL thing? Eh, I don't know. I'm definatley going to miss his gay son Obsidion though.... |
||||||
|
||||||
|
dandelion_rose
Posts: 657 Location: Kuala Lumpur |
|
|||||
My experience is the opposite. There is a lot more casual yaoi teasing in anime and manga, although it could just be the material we consume. Up until recently my manga and anime consumption were shounen and seinen adventures, and there's quite a bit of fujoshi-baiting in them. (Though, the last big franchise that I followed was Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, so I don't know how that counts.)
I've never watched or read explicit yuri or yaoi, so I'll take your word for it. My experience in this area is purely doujin stuff. Also, there's a lot of futanari that's (if I am correct) bundled and labeled as yuri, and I find that pretty annoying.
Yeah, for all the hints and teasing in shounen and seinen to grab fujoshi, very few characters are openly gay. |
||||||
|
||||||
Youkai Warrior
 Posts: 505 Location: Sarayashiki |
|
|||||
I clicked the link. It actually wasn't bad. Sometimes I think Brian can be biased, but this was a good comic, it spoke volumes. I've never been a fan of rape jokes myself. Rape is a serious crime, and people who make jokes about it, are really, really shallow. they are more than shallow, but if I post what else those people are, I'll get kicked off ANN.  )
|
||||||
|
||||||
RestLessone
 Posts: 1426 Location: New York |
|
|||||
|
That comic was very powerful, Brian. It was incredibly brave of you to create it.
Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's only Alan Scott on Earth-2 and he's in his 20's. He hasn't been mentioned on New Earth/Post-Crisis Earth/whatever the main continuity is being called now, though he was dead last time I checked. But I assume Obsidian and Jade will show up at some point. It's kinda like how everyone was in a fuss over Peter Parker being killed and the black-Hispanic Miles Morales taking over as Spider-Man. Of course, they didn't know it was on an alternate universe. Really, sometimes it's a bit difficult for people not involved in superhero fandom to understand the concept of the multiverses. I think they automatically assume it all takes place during one, when in reality there are multiple worlds. (I was confused as hell when I first entered.) I'm anticipating that I will have to explain the concept to many people in the future. Also, that there are five human Green Lanterns, and Hal and John are not the only ones. I don't care too much what happens on alternative universes, though. I stick to New Earth, and was happy to learn that Power Girl would finally be heading home. Then I learned that Helena Wayne spoiler[was really pretending to be Bertinelli, who had apparently been killed off without people knowing], and I was upset. The two should have stayed separate, and I feel that, in a few years, someone will undo it. /rant EDIT: I never read Batwoman's original stories, but I always appreciated her as a character and have some of the newer issues. Her design, her pride, and her personality are so refreshing. Her relationship with Renee was also well-done. |
||||||
|
||||||
vashfanatic
 Posts: 3489 Location: Back stateside |
|
|||||
|
Okay, as someone who saw Thermae Romae in Japan on opening night (and got the special manga as a result), I've got a few things to note.
Most of the ancient Rome cast is played by non-Japanese actors. Mostly white, but with some black* extras as well, and is pretty reflective of the racial diversity of Rome. A large chunk of the movie was filmed in Italy, and so the "they didn't have non-Japanese actors" doesn't work here. The five characters who are played by Japanese actors are the ones with the most lines - and that's the biggest reason they're there, it's to deliver the lines in Japanese. Subtitles aren't as much a box office killer in Japan as they are in America, but particularly in comedies they're less inclined to want to read. One option is dubbing, which Nodame Cantabile did quite a lot of. But even there you had actors in (extremely bad) white face. Which brings us to the other reason they cast Japanese actors: these people are big names. I know Brian addressed this from the American angle, but the actors cast in Thermae Romae, particularly Hiroshi Abe, are famous in Japan. Honestly, I think half the audience in that theater was there for Hiroshi Abe, or more specifically to see him naked. I know I was. What's been incredibly surreal is how many Japanese people I've spoken to insist that the actors they cast "look like foreigners." And I've insisted back, "No, they don't." I mean, sure, they look less stereotypically Japanese; a lot of people don't realize that high nose bridges are pretty common here, and not all "Asian" eyes look the same. My point, though, is that when you compare them to all the non-Japanese extras in the Roman scenes, they look really, really Japanese. While it worked well enough in the funny sections, during the more dramatic finale it made the scenes not quite work for me. (Strangely, that didn't happen for me with Nodame Cantabile, but that may also be due to me liking the story more.) Was it a little awkwardly racist? Um, I dunno. If the dub had been at all awkward, that would've ruined the dramatic moments in the same way, and I don't know whether subtitles would have impacted the box office sales noticeably or not. After all, some American movies make tons of money there with subtitles. All I know is, I am totally okay with Hiroshi Abe as Lucius. Would that all former male models could actually act. *Here I have to apologize for potentially not being "politically correct" because I don't know what would be the right term here. The actors certainly were not "African-American" since they're filming in Italy. Would "African-Italian" be right? "Politically correct" may have been abused by jerks to justify their racism/sexism/etc. but to me it still means insisting on correct terminology more than message (which, incidentally, is much rarer than its critics think). You can use the wrong term but have the right message, while using the correct term and having the completely wrong message. I think the big problem is when people aren't willing to listen when they say the wrong thing and switch to a better term. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
TitanXL
Posts: 4036 |
|
|||||
|
So.. 'white' is okay, but 'black' is not?
Just say black. African-American is a presumptuous term anyway, there are many black people in America whose ancestors are not African. Or if you prefer, everyone's from Africa anyway if you believe in evolution. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
|
|||||
It isn't political correctness, it's F&CKING BASIC MANNERS. Spare me this Reddit crap, please. Good lord. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Sunday Silence
Posts: 2047 |
|
|||||
They also retcon Jade out. What a mess. |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group