Sick Culture Part I

Both Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto respectively won an Oscar for their performances in Dallas Buyers club. I have yet to see Dallas Buyers club, but I really want to. Lately I've been reading and seeing a lot of flack for the movie, for Leto's performance and for Matthew McConaughey's acceptance speech. There was this article, this one, and then there was this one. All these articles point to something important; that a trans role should have went to a trans actor, that the movie should have involved trans people in some way, and that the movie's stars should have been more cognizant of what they were representing. And I don't disagree...necessarily....what I disagree with is our need to boycott or otherwise denounce this film because of the problems (no matter how justified) our education has allowed us to see.

I love video games, I always have loved video games, but video games often perpetuate stereotypes. I'm fully aware that video games feature violence towards women, propagates the damsel in distress trope and there isn't a video game (to my knowledge) that doesn't focus on a brilliant and capable female protagonist that isn't overly sexual. The point is that video games can be sexist, for more information, see this video. Now I'm aware some of you may not agree, but stay with me. I am fully aware of these things, but I do not stop playing video games and I certainly do not encourage others to stop playing video games. This is because I believe in thinking critically about mediums of information I thoroughly enjoy (yes video games are mediums of information).

In the case of Dallas buyers club, it is necessary to point out that trans people are underrepresented in film. In fact, whether it is in character or in person trans people, black people, Latino people, gay people, and women are all underrepresented in film. This year in 2013; Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, Blue Jasmine and even Gravity (Latino director) all represented these underrepresented groups, the focus was brought on them. This is one of the many positives of this movie, a fact we can look at and at least acknowledge is, at the very least, a nod in the right direction. It is still important to think critically about this movie though, about the lack of trans people in movies, and why they weren't at least brought on as consultants. But it is not necessary to hate this movie, like it isn't necessary to stop playing Grand Theft Auto because you can kill prostitutes, but it is important to think critically about whether or not that is an appropriate thing to put in a video game. Because with discussion comes education, with education comes change.

This is a fundamental way of thinking for me, it is how I decide to bring about societal change. I understand it may not be what others think of as effective, to others it may not even work. But I believe that if you cut, and poke holes, and deny, and denounce, and boycott, and cherry pick, and cut (again) any medium to the point where it is nothing, then you will be left with nothing. And society does not want nothing, the America we live in does not want nothing. We do not want to be left with no video games or movies that we enjoy, but we may be willing to listen about how they could be different. If you can do this, then over the course of time our mediums will start to change into a more progressive and inclusive standard. This is not new, this is how it works, we have the most progressive mediums that we have ever had in America, we have a long way to go, but when you try to force change in a way people do not listen to...then we don't move. No movement is bad movement.

Thanks for Listening,

Kyle