Reason number 4,291 why Jon Stewart is awesome

[missroserose]

I was watching The Daily Show episode for the 22nd, and the guest star was Liam Neeson, who is an excellent actor with one of those Voices You Don't Mess With. Unfortunately, his latest film (or at least its advertising campaign) doesn't appear to be worthy of its star; called Taken, it's a thriller about an ex-spy whose teenage daughter is kidnapped and who wages a one-man war to get her back. And all of the trailers and promotional clips I've seen have focused damn near exclusively on footage of a tearful teenage daughter on her cell phone with her father, scared out of her mind before being grabbed by unseen attackers to have God-knows-what done to her.

While the movie itself (from what I've read) is less about torture-porn as it is about Neeson's one-man war against the mysterious assailants, the sheer exploitative nature of the promos (why don't we ever see movies about 16 year old boys being kidnapped/tortured/raped? I guarantee you they're just as insecure and emotionally vulnerable) has grated on me severely every time I've seen them.

So why is Jon Stewart awesome? Because apparently it does the same for him (although, given that he's a parent himself, I'm sure part of his reaction comes from that angle too). But, being the classy guy that he is, he limits himself to a comically exaggerated "o.O" face and an "I don't like this movie" before talking to Liam Neeson about...horses.

ETA: Embedded player removed because the formatting was screwy. You can find the episode here if you'd like to have a look.

Having written all this out, it's striking me that a large part of my emotional reaction may have less to do with the cultural aspects as the personal. Specifically, that the father figure in my life since about age 13 has been largely undependable and later absent, and therefore the idea of being completely dependent upon such a one disgusts and frightens me more than it might someone else. It might explain the sheer viscerality of my reaction, which seems a bit strong for something as sadly common as a stereotyped female character in a mainstream Hollywood thriller.

Comments

[my-aerie.livejournal.com]

Ransom is about a boy being kidnapped...donno if much torture/rape is involved, haven't seen it. Netflix recommended it to me and I read the plot summary and thought of it just now when you mentioned that movies are never about boys being kidnapped.


...I have nothing more to say. I added nothing of value to this. :D


(btw, I think there's a tag that needs closing or something in this entry, as it fucks up the entry when I view just it, and fucks up my friends page a bit too)

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that. Stupid formatting issues.

I guess it's nice to know that not everyone is into exploiting the "girl in distress" dynamic, but it's still far too prevalent for my taste. Sure, I realize that I don't have to watch these movies (and I don't), but when you're getting hit with ads like these (http://wrcdv.blogspot.com/2007/09/when-did-torture-become-sexy.html) on a semi-regular basis, it starts to get old quick. Ugh.

[my-aerie.livejournal.com]

Not your fault, and wasn't totally mucking things up, just making it very wonky...


Unfortunately, damsel in distress is an archetype that we for some reason are not yet tired of...maybe someday.

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

The fact that you don't have to watch them shouldn't be a factor. Popular entertainment both reflects and informs popular culture, so if one is messed up the other will be too.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I do believe strongly in the First Amendment, and if people really want to watch torture porn (which, given the popularity of the genre, they apparently do), I'm not going to ask them to stop making it. But, come on, people - the concept of "good taste" exists for a reason. Hammering people with ads that skirt that line (or completely cross it, as with the other example I cited above) isn't going to make them want to watch your movie. It's just going to make them feel ill.

That said, you make a very good point. But trying to place restrictions on popular entertainment is putting the cart before the horse - such movies might reinforce the damsel-in-distress fetish, but they're not the cause and banning them certainly isn't going to fix the underlying problems. The problem being, I'm not sure exactly how we can fix them.

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't say to ban them - just that getting upset about them isn't wrong.

The movies are a symptom, not the actual problem. Until the problem is dealt with, they'll continue to be produced. Trying to get horror porn flicks banned would just be a waste of time and effort anyway.

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

I always wonder, when someone brings this up, whether it's biology or culture that gives men the urge to protect women. I personally think it's biology.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I've found it's often a combination of the two - culture tends to stem from biology, after all, either encouraging it or placing restrictions on it.

That said, if it's a biological urge, how do you explain rampant misogyny, especially among younger men?

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

What rampant misogyny? I haven't been to a high school lately, but I don't recall it being rampant - or even strongly present - when I was in high school. Either I was an insensitive clod or it wasn't as big of a problem when I was a kid.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to have to let flewellyn answer this one. :)

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Does using her name like that ping her, or do I have to track her down and comment on her blog?

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Flew is actually a dude, and I'm guessing he'll find the post all on his own (he has a nose for feminist issues). But if I see him online I'll mention it as well. :)

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Found it, Rose!

I'm actually not going to answer this as such, so much as point you to someplace that has lots of answers. Understand, when I do this, I have no intent of insulting you, rather I merely wish to share information in an expedient manner.

The link is http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/, which is the "Feminism 101" blog that a bunch of feminist bloggers have put together to answer common questions in a central location.

Hopefully, this will help.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Thought you would. :)

Also, mass props on your delivery. You've improved admirably since you inadvertently set off that entire wankstorm on the...Snopes feed, was it? Something*Positive? I can't quite remember.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

I don't remember either.

Sometimes I'm cranky, sometimes I'm placid. Today, I'm placid.

Also, it helps that gracewanderer was asking a respectful question, not being an asshole.

[gracewanderer.livejournal.com]

Unacceptable. I demand that you accommodate my laziness by duplicating information that has already been prepared in an easy-to-read format.

(Thanks. ;-) )

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

HA! You just described the attitude of many doodz I run across.

And you're welcome!