EARLY ACCESS: Superman's New Bi-Dentity
Added 2021-10-29 16:00:09 +0000 UTCVIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/_pcwiVxuldM
It's Early Access Friday! This week I'm taking a break from making fun of celebrities to make fun of society, as we approach the release date of the "bold new direction" that Superman will be taking. If you hadn't heard about this story and the backlash, you're in for a treat, but even if you have heard about it, there's lots of fun for you as well, as once again both "sides" are played against each other while the people at the top laugh at everyone. Enjoy!
Ah Superman. The symbol of American values, created by two Jewish dudes, one of whom was born in Canada. Beloved by generations of people in pretty much every form of media, from comic books to radio to movies to television. He's a character that, even if people don't actively interact with him that often, they get mad if you change him. So you won't be surprised that when DC made an announcement about the future... love life... of the current Man of Steel, the Internet got a little upset. Buckley looks at the backlash, and how it plays right into the hands of the companies as both sides fight about it on both traditional and social media.
Comments
It is neither suspicious nor gate-keeping to not appreciate pandering that is presented as ‘brave and bold’ like the company actually gives a flying funk about a single person in the rainbow and their struggles. It’s like how companies plaster the rainbow everywhere during Pride Month but remove the rainbow once it hits midnight. Companies need publicity and need to make money. They need to attract new customers. Creating controversy is an effective way to do that. Switching a character’s sexuality for no reason beyond “look how progressive we are” is a marketing ploy, no more no less. Rowling is a really good example of pandering. I don’t understand why not don’t have an issue with being pandered to; a company/person putting on a show for a specific race/sex/ethnicity for their own benefit is neither respectful nor supportive. I have no issue with inoffensive cash grabs or marketing ploys until the people doing it are lauded as supportive heroes/allies. There is nothing remotely “gate-keepy” in being unwilling to applaud pandering. 🤷♀️
J G
2022-01-23 08:04:17 +0000 UTCsexual orientation in a character doesn't matter, it doesn't affect the character beyond who they want to be with, which could be interesting to explore with different genders. batman's historically homoerotic, and so are many other comics. the only people that get upset about it being 'pandering' (which could be the case bc companies are gonna do what they do) seem real suspicious and gatekeep-y to me, but as a writer, sometimes when you write a character you realize it would just make total SENSE for something to be a part of them. The era in which these comics were written never left much room for that imagination. It could be really fun to explore that in writings with established characters, esp since marvel and dc change their established characters all the time. It's the same with changing a character's race. doesn't matter. creating new characters is supreme, but this is alright too.
czarina
2022-01-09 00:12:55 +0000 UTCHeh heh heh! That bi/buy pun at the end was *chef's kiss*.
Shumiry
2021-10-31 13:35:29 +0000 UTCThe sexual orientation of a character is irrelevant in this case for a starter. Since the story is not basically about people relationship so getting triggered for a marketing stun when the real goal here is to make people react so they get attention (publicity). It's a common practice for so many years and I call that "savage marketing". The real problem is an individual trying to force a personal opinion and some media generalize the purpose and make it sound like it's a big deal. The result is that is really effective on impulsive people so it's rapidly spread over the net. However it does not grant success all the time like in this case. The real thing that people should be triggered about is the marketing industry itself that pollute the cultural scene for too long.
Daniel Brulotte
2021-10-31 12:46:17 +0000 UTCBut it is a new character, it’s not Clark Kent, but his son, a brand new character that is so, so different ;)
Pete Spicer
2021-10-30 01:11:50 +0000 UTCI’m not offended by it… but at the same time I think it’s so unnecessary and just feels like pandering. Make new LGBTQI characters rather than doing this for the sake of it when it doesn’t really fit and feels forced. I’m not against inclusivity, I’m against pandering
Ash Archer
2021-10-30 00:40:39 +0000 UTCobligatory "if anyone is offended by gay superman, please look up the new law texas is drafting to stop gay soops, google 'Gay Superman Rule 34"." sorry
xave vaughan
2021-10-29 22:40:27 +0000 UTC
