Why I continue to dislike so called "intellectual" queers

Why I continue to dislike so called "intellectual" queers. I'm all for critique but this Star Wars critique is misguided. Son of Baldwin has always reminded me of a guy who jacks off with Icy Hot and then complains it burns. He usually ends up in my timeline when someone shares his faux enlightenment. Good thing it usually only once a year. Yuck.


Son of Baldwin
So I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you're a Star Wars fanatic, please note that I'm starting with the good, but then I'm going in.

THE GOOD:

1. Star Wars is one of those franchises that effortlessly world-builds. The Star Wars universe is so impeccably rendered that it feels like it could be a real place.

2. The actors' performances were quite good, especially the actors who played Rae and Finn.

3. There were very exciting moments and these moments were particularly highlighted in the light saber fight scenes.

4. Hypermasculinity was tamped down. This was not a universe in which heroic men proved they were men by being cold, antiseptic, violent, angry, and averse to any male touch that wasn't a killing blow. Those antisocial, anti-human qualities were given to villainous men.

5. Patriarchy was shown to be a toxic sociopolitical arrangement. And the need for a feminine aspect was shown to be needed in a balanced, peaceful universe.

6. This was Rae's story. She defied many of the damsel-in-distress tropes by being the only character in this film with active agency and was heroic from the moment she was on the screen until the moment the film ended.

7. If I had completely turned off all of my critical thinking and every thing I learned about seeing media through race and gender lenses, I would have thought this film was a solid 3 out of 4 stars.

THE BAD:

1. The movie could have EASILY been called Cosmic Caping for Caitlin. The real "force" in this movie was that just about everyone was willing to lay down and die because the White Woman was super-special--like super-special at EVERYTHING: piloting, mechanics, technology, swordplay, morality. She was the most specialest snowflake in the whole universe and everyone wanted her on their side.

2. I'm amazed at how resilient and potent racial stereotypes continue to be in Hollywood productions. Like, even in the 21st century, white supremacy clings to its 17th century pseudo-reality.

3. Finn was nothing more than a cinematic version of N*gg*r Jim. His sole purpose in this film was to advance the white woman's narrative, play nurse, defer to the wisdom of white people, and CAPE LIKE FUCK for Rae. Rae is the entire reason he's heroic. He's a cowardly, conflicted character that doesn't know what to do with that conflict until white people show up, either symbolically or actually, to guide him. It's kinda low-key (but not really) that Finn is the stand-in savage that needs civilizing by the good white folks and that his life will have meaning the minute Rae deigns to bless him with the Prize of White Womanhood. The dynamic between Rae and Finn read like revenge porn for Obama "not waiting his turn" and usurping Hillary Clinton.

4. The only other black person in the movie is killed during the X-fighter fight. Because, you know, in the Star Wars universe, only one Negro per far, far away galaxy is permitted.

5. This film was entirely predictable. There wasn't a single surprise in this film. I felt as though the film pandered to a particular kind of person, meeting everyone at the lowest common denominator in order to ensure the highest amount of investment.

6. Americans swear up and down that we are The Republic/The Resistance when we are actually The Galactic Empire/The Sith/The First Order. I imagine that Star Wars is so dear to so many Americans for that very reason: that the franchise endeavors to absolve Americans of our sins, preserve our "innocence" and reverse the narrative through a seductive propaganda campaign (perhaps the most effective propaganda campaign next to the Holy Bible) that reimagines the villains as heroes and the heroes as villains. If the franchise was honest, Darth Vader/Kylo Ren would be dressed in white and the Stormtroopers would be dressed in black because that more closely resembles how white supremacy actually works.

7. This film might have been saved for me if they had cast the role of Rae with a dark-skinned, kinky-haired black actress. As it stands, the only black woman in the film, in an ironic twist, was put in CGI yellowface. I cringed at how blatant that was. Somehow, though, hidden behind all those computer graphics, and living in an imagined alien world, Lupita Nyong'o still takes on the role of a kind of Mammy for Rae. But the attached article explains all of the problematics much better than I can:

"The simple answer as to why Lupita Nyong’o was hidden within an Asian caricature in 'Stars Wars: The Force Awakens' is because the White filmmakers and the White controlled studio did not want the beauty and talents of a Black actress who happens to be of Mexican and Kenyan descent to distract and diminish the White heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) whom they had chosen to be the true hero of this installment of the tale.

As critic Joseph Boston asserts, 'The casting of largely unknown Daisy Ridley as a central protagonist in the 'Force Awakens' therefore entrusting an inexperienced actress with a multi-billion dollar corporation while Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o is relegated to a supporting CGI character named Maz Kanata is but the latest example of "Star Wars" and Hollywood’s misogynoir & its 'problem' with Black women writ large.'"

- Andre Sweewood, "Hyper-tokenism II: Othering the Black Female Body in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'"

[Photo description: Indoors. A black woman, Lupita Nyong'o is seen from the neck up. On her face are tin white dots designed to translate her facial expressions into a CGI representation. She's looking slightly off camera. Camera equipment in the background. In the right bottom corner, a circular inset of the CGI alien character, Maz Kanata, next to the robot R2-D2.]

 

As I have said before, I don't know which is worse; the white racists who didn't want to see a black male star in Star Wars or the black people calling the black star in Star Wars a coward, coon or slave.

 

First, please do not jack off with Icy Hot, LOL.

Second, if its not black LGT anti-misogyny, anti-patrachy, pro-queer, anti-masculine, pro-feminist focused, I'm pretty sure he will not enjoy it. Son of Baldwin has been one of the many enemies of Discreet City/Cypher Ave since day one. One interesting thing is that he is one of those types that if you disagree with anything he says or challenge him on his ideals, he blocks you...but hey, you know me. Everything isn't for everybody.

 

Yes, see the third message above

 

Exactly...