Nerdy Thoughts

Rosie goes on a feminist rant. Deal with it.

So I very rarely post my own things on Tumblr, usually they’re just random rants. But for class we had to watch a video about the Bechdel test and answer a few questions about it. Because I was in one of my angry feminist moods, here’s what happened. I feel like most of my class won’t get it, and I will be labeled as “that crazy feminist chick” so I figured I’d share it with you Tumblr. (For anyone who doesn’t know, the Bechdel test is a way of identifying gender bias is a work. To pass the test, a film must a) contain more than one female character, b) the female character’s must talk to each other, c) they must talk to each other about something about men. You’d be surprised at how many films fail this test, including most of my favorites.)

(1) In what ways might the representation of women discussed in the clip be ethically problematic?

The most surprising thing, and possibly the most problematic thing is that before watching this video, I would have never even thought of these films as excluding or objectifying women. We expect to see men in action movies, we expect the few women to be there for the men, their main story arc often focuses around the protagonist. They are there for the male lead, because that is who their audience is forced to live through (Male Gaze 101). But it’s not just men watching these movies. Many of the films that have failed the test are among my favorite films, and last I checked, I am not a man. For women who enjoy these films, they don’t see themselves represented, they don’t see themselves having worth outside of a relationship, because they don’t see themselves represented in any other way.

And the men who watch these movies only see women in roles that revolve around them, adding further ethical issues. Many of the films that would pass this test could be considered ‘chick flicks’ implying that while women may want to see men’s stories (such as the movies shown in the video) only women, ‘chicks’ want to hear women’s stories. This isn’t equality, and it isn’t representing everyone. The ethical issue comes from the fact that by not telling women’s stories, the media industry isn’t acknowledging the existence or the equality of women.

At work the other day I was working on coverage (for a project that several others had already read) and I was the first to notice that out of the 12 major characters (who each received a page long introduction) there were no women mentioned. The entire (50 page) bible dedicated only 2 sentences to a female character, and only because she was the love interest for the main character. This was for a children’s show. What message is that sending to it’s young viewers? Women literally don’t exist in this script, unless they are created for the men.

(2) Are media producers morally responsible for the phenomenon the Bechdel Test reveals?

Much as I wish that I could put all the blame on the media producers, I can’t. They make movies that will make money, movies that people want to see. If this is what sells tickets, then the blame falls on us as a society. We are ignoring the stories of women, we are the ones silencing them, because we are saying that we don’t want to hear their stories. We are so conditioned to this system, that many of us don’t even notice this flaw until it is pointed out to us. I do think that a part of it has to do that a large portion of this industry is made up of men. Just watching the Academy awards it’s easy to see how many men received awards and nominations, there simply aren’t as many women in the business. Men are probably going to be drawn towards male driven stories, and I think this may be a small part of the problem.

Another thing I thought was interesting was that many people (mostly guys-sorry guys, not attacking you, just observing) responded to this question by saying that media producers should not feel obligated to add in female characters if it wouldn’t add to the story. Obviously no one can be forced to change their artistic vision. But that isn’t the problem. The problem is simply the idea that adding women to a story woulddetract from the overall story rather than add to it, and more than one person had this reaction. Obviously everyone has to freedom to tell the stories they want, that’s one of the major topics in this class, but by that logic, we should be able to tell women’s stories too, and maybe give them a purpose other than a man.

(3) Could the phenomenon the Bechdel Test reveals be ethically justified? If so, how?

I pointed out the ethical concerns that this test raises, but I am unsure as to how they could be justified. I suppose the argument could be that we are largely ignorant of this, implying that it isn’t a major problem, because the movies result in more happiness than unhappiness. I personally think this indicates that it is a major problem, because if we’re ignorant to this, then we’re ignorant to the messages we are imparting on media consumers. Because this could cause harm to women (If people who view this films see and treat women as sex objects or not real people with real depth) I don’t think it would be ethically justifiable by most major arguments.

Another Rosie Rant…

So I tend to only post on Tumblr when I’m annoyed by something, and I keep seeing this ‘13 Most Useless Majors’ list. I am a Television, Radio, Film major (useless degree #3) with a minor in renaissance studies (Useless major #12). It hits a nerve because I’m really sick of hearing all of the “Do you want fries with that” jokes that all of my math/science/finance friends won’t stop making. Guess what, almost every major on that list is a crucial part of the culture we have created, the culture that sets us apart, that makes us human. We make connections, and we tell stories, we think and interpret and share, we do this through every medium, be it books, art, film, performance, music, HISTORY! HISTORY WAS ON THAT LIST. You may deem the degree useless, but guess what. History is important. It shows us how we got to where we are, how to move forward, what worked and what didn’t, how to avoid making the same mistakes. The list goes on. Strangely enough these majors all require an intense amount of learning and work and experience which and I’ve recently realized; makes it all that much more worthwhile. When you spend hours late into the night editing that video for class you feel so much more proud and accomplished when you get an A on it, I’m sure the same idea carries over into real life. You work so hard to get a job in a cutthroat industry that when you manage it you prove to yourself that you can do it. And I think that that’s worth a whole hell of a lot.

Which brings us to the question: what defines ‘useless’? That’s really the part of this that I found offensive. Call my field difficult, or say that it lacks job opportunities, make whatever observations you want. But what gives you the right to call what I do useless? As I mentioned, all of these majors require a lot of work, and the salaries aren’t usually the highest, and the jobs are harder to get. You have to want it, you have to work for it, and you have to commit. So basically we’re not allotting worth to these things, things that give back to our community, or make people happy, or allow us to create and feel accomplished. No, ‘worth,’ ‘usefulness,’ is apparently given only to an education that can be learned and immediately marketed to make the most money for the individual… That seems a little shallow. Don’t ya think? Would you honestly be happy living in a world without art, without music, without books, or the roof over your head? A world where people only studied and practiced skills that would only benefit themselves?

Well, I can’t really answer that for you I guess. But I can promise you that when I spend hours editing footage, or writing papers on Elizabeth I, or analyzing Titian’s paintings, it’s worth something to me. When my friends in architecture are asleep at their desks, sacrificing their health, their leisure time, their sanity, for their passion, it sure as hell isn’t worthless or useless. It’s all that they want and it makes them happy.

And I’m not saying that these majors are better than the ones that aren’t on this list. Everyone is different, we all have different skills, different values, different passions that allow us to excel in DIFFERENT fields and professions. I have a friend who is a finance major. I may wrinkle my nose, but she loves it. It makes her happy, excited, enthusiastic about her future. And that’s all that one could really ask for.

While looking into this, I found a post about how these ‘useless’ fields of study focus more on quality and less on quantity. Sadly our society seems to be rather obsessed with quantity. But I think for myself, and I will certainly be happy with the quality of my education, and the quality of the work I produce, and the quality of my happiness and personal satisfaction. Even without the quantity of money that I could be making in a job that would make me miserable.