View original postFinn is plenty strong-willed and independent - if rebelling against the Storm Troopers when those are all he has ever known, while rescuing a rebel pilot along the way, isn't impressive enough for you, he then repeatedly proves his independent thinking and his self-confidence, especially with that bluff about knowing how to disable the shields on the big bad weapon. While kicking ass along the way when it comes down to fights - if he's using completely alien weapons, it may take a few tries but he learns nearly as fast as Rey. And it is after all only the first movie, so he has space left to grow.
Escaping from the Strom Troopers is about the only decision he makes. I will give you the fact the he was able to hold his own for a little while in light saber battle against a trained sith which makes no sense at all. I am not saying he a complete wimp but there is no argument about who was leading and it wasn't him.
View original postThere is nothing weak about Finn, unless you count that one detail of not being Rey. Which, you know, deal with it. If Rey had been a guy, you wouldn't have been here complaining that Finn was made weaker or reduced to a sidekick.
No I would have called him a weak character compared to first series regardless of who was with him. I think Rey was a poorly developed character. The best character and most likeable character was the pilot and it would have been a better movie if they had left Finn out and just had him.
View original postView original postAs for helping the plight of women and minorities that is just flawed logic. I fully support making a main character black, the original series did it to a degree. Of the major black characters in the series Finn, the former sanitation worker, is the weakest and I am not sure how making the black man the little buddy to the white girl helps minorities. I do object to the idea that new white characters can only be bad guys and need to look as much like Nazis as possible, make sure you zoom in on those blue eyes and blonde hair. I am sure that was no accident fro the Jewish Abrams.
View original postI have no idea what you're talking about, considering that Kylo Ren has black hair and looks a lot more Jewish than Nazi, if I have to pick one of the two.
That is because I was not referring Kylo Ren, he was not really the bad guy but was an angry and troubled victim. General Hox is the real bad guy. Like his grandfather before him Ren will be redeemed. Look at the scenes of Hox addressing his troops and tell me Nazi doesn't come to mind.
View original postNobody expects this sort of thing to magically cure racism or sexism, but that's not what it's about. It's about giving little kids of racial minorities, or little girls, the idea that they can be the hero of the story just as the little white boy can. As I said to Tom, there aren't many genres where the setting and plot will allow you to be truly colourblind and genderblind, so in cases like Star Wars that do allow it, the opportunity shouldn't be missed.
The first series accomplished and still gave positive heroes to little white boys. Take a look at the movies out recently and explain again how there is a lack of strong females characters. Hunger Games, Harry Potter, the latest Avengers, Fury Road, The 100 ect ect. There is a better argument to be made for a lack of strong black roles but since blacks only make about 15% of the country I think the argument could be made that they are represented correctly. Hispanics on the other hand make up a larger percentage of population and the main Hispanic character had a limited role despite the fact he was one of the strongest characters
View original postWhile we're at it, I don't want to give the idea that I'm scorning the earlier SW movies - Leia did have an important role, and there were coloured characters in important role before. But A New Hope came out in 1977 - in 2015, the time is ripe for a more active female lead.
View original postView original postThe idea that portraying women as a match for men in close combat is not just misguided but it is down right stupid and has the exact opposite affect that is intended. In the real world when girls fight boys they get hurt and they can be hurt badly. Anything that makes it OK for a man to fight a women like she is a man does not help women and presenting women as equals to men in combat does exactly that.
View original postI completely disagree. Men are stronger and taller than women and consequently have an edge in physical combat -
on average. Girls getting hurt if they try to take on a guy depends entirely on the girl, and the guy. There's nothing wrong as such with a man fighting a woman like she is a man - the wrongness is in the man trying to hurt someone weaker just because he can, or to impose his will through violence. Which is just as wrong when he does it to a physically weak man, or when it's a woman doing it (don't know if you saw this, but inbetween all the fuss about the NFL's domestic violence policy, the WNBA had an ugly incident of its own).
Sorry but that is horse shit. Men on average are 50% stronger than women, have more capacity and more blood cells. Like other species with sexual dimorphism similar to humans the male of the species is designed to be able fight to defend his right to breed and to survive when he is pushed put out the troop. The female is designed to give birth and hold status in the troop. The reality is only a tiny percentage of females can hold their own against even average males and none can hold their own against the more elite males and no amount of wishful thinking or bad ass chicks in the movies is going to change that. In the vast majority of female on male abuse cases the males was not fighting back or was attacked with a weapon.
View original postBut if this means that you're finally admitting that your problem is simply with the premise of the next big SW hero being a woman, perhaps we can stop the pretence that this is somehow about Finn, and conclude our whole debate really just boils down to me applauding a female heroine and you deploring it.
I have no problem with the lead being a women. Can you finally admit that they lessen the men to make the female lead more believable?
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