This weekly roundup thread is intended for all culture war posts. 'Culture war' is vaguely defined, but it basically means controversial issues that fall along set tribal lines. Arguments over culture war issues generate a lot of heat and little light, and few deeply entrenched people ever change their minds. This thread is for voicing opinions and analyzing the state of the discussion while trying to optimize for light over heat.
Optimistically, we think that engaging with people you disagree with is worth your time, and so is being nice! Pessimistically, there are many dynamics that can lead discussions on Culture War topics to become unproductive. There's a human tendency to divide along tribal lines, praising your ingroup and vilifying your outgroup - and if you think you find it easy to criticize your ingroup, then it may be that your outgroup is not who you think it is. Extremists with opposing positions can feed off each other, highlighting each other's worst points to justify their own angry rhetoric, which becomes in turn a new example of bad behavior for the other side to highlight.
We would like to avoid these negative dynamics. Accordingly, we ask that you do not use this thread for waging the Culture War. Examples of waging the Culture War:
-
Shaming.
-
Attempting to 'build consensus' or enforce ideological conformity.
-
Making sweeping generalizations to vilify a group you dislike.
-
Recruiting for a cause.
-
Posting links that could be summarized as 'Boo outgroup!' Basically, if your content is 'Can you believe what Those People did this week?' then you should either refrain from posting, or do some very patient work to contextualize and/or steel-man the relevant viewpoint.
In general, you should argue to understand, not to win. This thread is not territory to be claimed by one group or another; indeed, the aim is to have many different viewpoints represented here. Thus, we also ask that you follow some guidelines:
-
Speak plainly. Avoid sarcasm and mockery. When disagreeing with someone, state your objections explicitly.
-
Be as precise and charitable as you can. Don't paraphrase unflatteringly.
-
Don't imply that someone said something they did not say, even if you think it follows from what they said.
-
Write like everyone is reading and you want them to be included in the discussion.
On an ad hoc basis, the mods will try to compile a list of the best posts/comments from the previous week, posted in Quality Contribution threads and archived at /r/TheThread. You may nominate a comment for this list by clicking on 'report' at the bottom of the post and typing 'Actually a quality contribution' as the report reason.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
It's not even just because I'm a raging misogynist. Like, I could suspend my disbelief while watching a fantasy series enough to believe that a slender 5' 4" woman could defeat half a dozen people at once, if she's a master warrior and they're all lowly amateurs. That's a common enough trope in martial arts and other combat-based works - usually it involves a clearly powerful and muscular badass, but the world being a fantasy world goes a long way. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did it quite well with the tiny Zhang Ziyi making fools out of dozens of men at once. But that's the kind of thing the show needs to establish first by showing us what kinds of supernatural/fantastical abilities she has to overcome these odds that would be literally impossible IRL. And even then, the show needs to meet me halfway by showing her struggling, getting bested here and there for a moment before using her greater experience, skills, abilities, etc. to turn the tables. There's some level of incompetence and intentional "waiting their turn" we can accept in these 1-on-many fights, but the show needs to make an effort in hiding it.
But even before all that, there's the fact that they seem to be starting the training by having these rookies fight this master swordswoman using real weapons. That's like bringing in Michael Jordan to teach basketball to teenagers and throwing them straight away into a one-on-one match against him. Not even where he's pointing out errors in his opponent as they play, but he's just playing to win. Sure, that'd be a fun thing to try at some point in training, most likely as a little showcase for the most confident/best trainees, but as step one? All that would accomplish is showing off just how much better Jordan is than everyone else, and no one would learn anything. Perhaps there could have been some subplot of Galadriel getting no respect as an unproven small foreigner, and using this as a way for her to earn their respect, but that didn't seem to be the setup. I'm no expert in things like combat or training, but even I know enough to tell just how unbelievable the whole scene is, right from the jump. These writers getting paid handsomely in this billion dollar production should be expected at least to do enough research to make it believable to a layman like me.
Gotta say, it's a shame that the GOT curse of its less established actors not being able to transition to proper stardom seems to be in force with Gwendolyn Christie. Someone of her stature could make for a really fun action heroine to watch, and she seemed competent enough in the combat scenes in GOT. The Star Wars sequels completely wasted the opportunity with her character. I wonder if there's an alternate universe where ROP starred her instead; that said, I never got the sense from the Jackson trilogy that Galadriel was supposed to be some badass warrior, so perhaps it wouldn't have been the best fit.
It's such a stupid scene that really. Count the ways it's idiotic.
(1) We need to suddenly train up a bunch of warriors in, like, ten minutes before we set sail on our heroic mission
(2) The reason we need to train up etc. is because they're all volunteers, unlike our navy. At least we have a navy, and they're trained, even if it's mostly to shout at the sea
(3) Since we only have a navy and not an army, we don't gots no place to train up our volunteers
(4) Well, that's what side-streets were made for, right? Not that we're expecting to, like, do any urban fighting but hey, maybe we'll have to liberate a village and so. You know. Knowing how to fight in confined spaces? Yeah, I'm not convinced either
(5) Okay, so you know the raging paranoia roiling the populace about the Elves, especially since this one mouthy bitch landed? Let's do everything to stoke that by suddenly putting that one mouthy bitch in charge of training our army
(6) Speaking of training, she's going to go right from "this is how you hold a sword, pointy end away from you" to "let's try and see who gets first blood, winner gets the promotion, loser gets - well, at least a case of sepsis" in about, ooh, three steps?
(7) Speaking of training part deux, it's going to involve a lot of "am I teaching you to fight or to dance limbo?". If we have to take on the Orcs in the cha-cha, we'll leave them in our dust!
I could go on, but Shad from The Knight's Watch did it better
EDIT: If they had to insist on Galadriel being a Queen Bitch, then yeah, Gwendoline Christie towering over the cowering bunch of squeaking kids going "yes, ma'am" in terror would work. Still, Elendil is supposed to be about seven feet tall, and the actor they got is there mainly to be bossed around by Glads and Miriel (which is a shame, he gives distinct impressions at times that he could actually act in the part if it didn't consist of him being the punching bag for the Girl Bosses as a Useless Male).
EDIT EDIT: No, it is because you're a raging misogynist that you object to their totes cool and awesome display of Glads being a Boss Bitch. They told us so in myriads of media pieces that only toxic trolls objected to the show because it was all about Women! Diversity! Inclusion! Reflecting Our Modern World! 😂 So it can't have anything to do with "This is bloody ridiculous", or common sense, no that's not the real reason at all.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link