References to pretty major violence, genocide. Some spoilery stuff for X-men movie.
Or the title was something like that.
Anyways. Thoughts.
I saw it with my Chinese tutor, who is pretty cool.
First off: People who watch a lot of movies know the shot directors or producers or whoever is in charge of this bit tend to use for revealing the big thing that's going to save everyone. Having the big thing that's going to save everyone be a wheelchair is huge. It really is. There's a lot of stuff in the movie that isn't great, like why is the metaphor about marginalization using so many white people who, sans superhero-like metaphor status, would not otherwise be marginalized? (The professor is complicated in this sense, since he's only disabled when he has his powers, and his powers don't cancel out his disability. But he also kind of creeps me out, given what his powers are. And Magneto is portrayed as an antagonist, if not outright a villain, so I have trouble counting him as a positive representation of this sort even if I disagree with the idea that he's purely a villain.)
The bit about the wheelchair being the saving weapon, or the physical representation of it in any case, is still huge. It's important. Technology that helps disabled people do stuff can look and feel like that big important weapon to lots of us, even when we're not actually in a science fiction movie and getting superpowers at the same time that we start using the obvious technology. My computer, which lets me type even when speech isn't working, absolutely feels like that for me. The technology we use to get around and do things isn't a prison, it's the tool that lets us do stuff, just as important as the professors chair.
I also love the chair that the professor is using in the 50 years into the future time, because I am a science geek and levitation technology is awesome. I want to know how it works in-universe, and I want to figure out a way of making it happen in real life, because that could be seriously useful.
Now, onto Magneto. He's trigger-happy in ways that tend not to actually help. That's a very different statement from "violence is always wrong," by the way. There are absolutely times when violence is justified, like when, you know, people are trying to kill you, which is happening in-universe! I don't think assassinating the guy who created the Sentinel program would have been morally injustifiable for a mutant, to be honest. I just agree with the protagonisty people that it was a really bad idea. Because it just made everyone think the program was needed, and backfired, and the fact that it did that? Not surprising. So my issue with Magneto isn't "Violence is always wrong." It's "He keeps using violence in places where it makes the situation worse, not better. This isn't helping." Different tools are good for different jobs, and Magneto overuses the violence tool. (The professor, on the other hand, seems to be unwilling to touch it even when it's the best, or only, tool for solving a particular problem.)
And, you know, the whole thing where Magneto is apparently willing to commit genocide against non-mutants. That's really not OK.
Also I really don't like the divide between Magneto's people and the Professors people as a two-choice thing. It shouldn't be. There should absolutely be a choice where violence is a last-resort type thing, and mutants aren't being told they need to hide themselves until the non-mutants are ready. I'm sure there's mutants with opinions in the middle, who think their powers are awesome and shouldn't need to be hidden and are good for humanity, but not a next step in evolution or other such things, not mutant supremacists. But we don't really get to see them, and that's not good.
Oh, and now Google is partnering with Autism Speaks to look at autistic DNA. This reminds me a bit too much of the Sentinels. Who also use DNA to go after mutants. This is pretty significantly a problem. [So I know autism wasn't one of the things the X-men were made as a metaphor for, but it fits here. Especially on the identifying genes, wanting to identify the genes that mean you could have an autistic kid/a mutant kid. It's scary. Can we not go there?]
Or the title was something like that.
Anyways. Thoughts.
I saw it with my Chinese tutor, who is pretty cool.
First off: People who watch a lot of movies know the shot directors or producers or whoever is in charge of this bit tend to use for revealing the big thing that's going to save everyone. Having the big thing that's going to save everyone be a wheelchair is huge. It really is. There's a lot of stuff in the movie that isn't great, like why is the metaphor about marginalization using so many white people who, sans superhero-like metaphor status, would not otherwise be marginalized? (The professor is complicated in this sense, since he's only disabled when he has his powers, and his powers don't cancel out his disability. But he also kind of creeps me out, given what his powers are. And Magneto is portrayed as an antagonist, if not outright a villain, so I have trouble counting him as a positive representation of this sort even if I disagree with the idea that he's purely a villain.)
The bit about the wheelchair being the saving weapon, or the physical representation of it in any case, is still huge. It's important. Technology that helps disabled people do stuff can look and feel like that big important weapon to lots of us, even when we're not actually in a science fiction movie and getting superpowers at the same time that we start using the obvious technology. My computer, which lets me type even when speech isn't working, absolutely feels like that for me. The technology we use to get around and do things isn't a prison, it's the tool that lets us do stuff, just as important as the professors chair.
I also love the chair that the professor is using in the 50 years into the future time, because I am a science geek and levitation technology is awesome. I want to know how it works in-universe, and I want to figure out a way of making it happen in real life, because that could be seriously useful.
Now, onto Magneto. He's trigger-happy in ways that tend not to actually help. That's a very different statement from "violence is always wrong," by the way. There are absolutely times when violence is justified, like when, you know, people are trying to kill you, which is happening in-universe! I don't think assassinating the guy who created the Sentinel program would have been morally injustifiable for a mutant, to be honest. I just agree with the protagonisty people that it was a really bad idea. Because it just made everyone think the program was needed, and backfired, and the fact that it did that? Not surprising. So my issue with Magneto isn't "Violence is always wrong." It's "He keeps using violence in places where it makes the situation worse, not better. This isn't helping." Different tools are good for different jobs, and Magneto overuses the violence tool. (The professor, on the other hand, seems to be unwilling to touch it even when it's the best, or only, tool for solving a particular problem.)
And, you know, the whole thing where Magneto is apparently willing to commit genocide against non-mutants. That's really not OK.
Also I really don't like the divide between Magneto's people and the Professors people as a two-choice thing. It shouldn't be. There should absolutely be a choice where violence is a last-resort type thing, and mutants aren't being told they need to hide themselves until the non-mutants are ready. I'm sure there's mutants with opinions in the middle, who think their powers are awesome and shouldn't need to be hidden and are good for humanity, but not a next step in evolution or other such things, not mutant supremacists. But we don't really get to see them, and that's not good.
Oh, and now Google is partnering with Autism Speaks to look at autistic DNA. This reminds me a bit too much of the Sentinels. Who also use DNA to go after mutants. This is pretty significantly a problem. [So I know autism wasn't one of the things the X-men were made as a metaphor for, but it fits here. Especially on the identifying genes, wanting to identify the genes that mean you could have an autistic kid/a mutant kid. It's scary. Can we not go there?]
mm! I also noticed how the movies really lack an 'other choices' option, and leave you with the Professor and Magneto who each have their own problems. The weird thing is that they kind of show this, because it's the problem Mystique has - she doesn't like Magento's methods, but the Professor only wants her invisible. Only they don't explore that, because the movie really doesn't give Mystique much subjectivity. *sigh*.
ReplyDeleteI also really like your insight on Magneto and violence.
DeletePretty sure Magneto is like the aspie supremacists: Selfishly promoting their interests at the expense of further marginalizing an already marginalized group. Except, you know, not using violence. Also, is Stryker the JRC? Stryker should be the JRC.
ReplyDeleteI like any movie w/a pro-difference, anti-eugenics message, really, which is why I watched this. I skipped The Wolverine, though, because it looked more like "guy beats up the financial district" during the trailers.
I think I'd have felt a lot less sympathy/empathy with Magneto if there had been ANY other actually talked about and fleshed out options where mutants aren't expected to be invisible.
DeleteLike Anon said before you, Mystique. I maybe want Mystique to found her own group.
Haven't seen Wolverine either.
And you might like the Young Wizards Series, then, Diane Duane, but make absolutely sure you go for the New Millenium Editions or else you will probably want to burn book 6 and chuck the flaming wreckage across the room.