It's a sociocultural trap!
Sep. 29th, 2008 11:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seiberwingAm I the only one who gets pissed off at this sort of thing? Putting aside the fact that The Gay is not allowed in the TF:Mosaic project (with, apparently, exceptions made for humor), I find it rather insulting to continually insinuate that the sudden discovery that the object of your lusts is actually a male is horrifying. Double points if they turn around and start hitting on you. It's an incredibly stale joke that has overtones of homophobia that I'm just not comfortable with. Note the comments below the comic as well--this situation is regarded as awkward or just flat-out wrong. There's even a few crossdresser jokes thrown in for good measure.
Does that mean the writer and artist of this comic are homophobic? Certainly not. They're just going with a lowest common denominator joke, much like like the guy who did the Erector penis size joke last week. But stop for a moment and think about exactly why it's funny. You have one or more males participating in a manly heterosexual activity, lusting over or trying to attract a female. Then the "trap" is exposed, revealing that the male(s) have actually been participating in a homosexual activity by catcalling another male. This is found to be hilarious to the audience and humiliating to the male(s) involved. I'm not sure if it even works the same way for a reverse-trap, a female mistaken for a male by another female, but if it is the degree of humiliation is far less.
In short, the Transformers fandom really needs to get its act together.
EDIT: Seems the ones responsible have posted in their thoughts on the comic.
Josh van Reyk, writer: Definitely not the case here. I just thought it would be funny if the Constructicons were hitting on a car, that; A) Was actually a Transformer, and B) Was a male Transformer.
Those good ‘ole boys would surely freak-out if that ever happened.
The Stunticons are just giving them a little grief, there are no hidden under-tones here.
Apologies if anyone took offence to this, it certainly wasn’t intended.
Ninjha, artist: Definitely! After reading all the comments and stuff, we had no idea this would be so controversial. Even while drawing it I thought of it as just a gag. I made sure the guns were powering up and stuff. The Stunticons were just supposed to scare them off, THATS IT. There is no reading into this, no hidden message, it is what you see.
Yes, well, while I see an alternative explanation that the Stunticon's violent approach could have been the trigger as opposed to their revealed gender, Mr. van Reyk seems to indicate otherwise. I honestly can't be arsed to go in and argue with them, but I'd say the intent on the writer's part is pretty obvious. Accidental gay is terrifying.
Does that mean the writer and artist of this comic are homophobic? Certainly not. They're just going with a lowest common denominator joke, much like like the guy who did the Erector penis size joke last week. But stop for a moment and think about exactly why it's funny. You have one or more males participating in a manly heterosexual activity, lusting over or trying to attract a female. Then the "trap" is exposed, revealing that the male(s) have actually been participating in a homosexual activity by catcalling another male. This is found to be hilarious to the audience and humiliating to the male(s) involved. I'm not sure if it even works the same way for a reverse-trap, a female mistaken for a male by another female, but if it is the degree of humiliation is far less.
In short, the Transformers fandom really needs to get its act together.
EDIT: Seems the ones responsible have posted in their thoughts on the comic.
Josh van Reyk, writer: Definitely not the case here. I just thought it would be funny if the Constructicons were hitting on a car, that; A) Was actually a Transformer, and B) Was a male Transformer.
Those good ‘ole boys would surely freak-out if that ever happened.
The Stunticons are just giving them a little grief, there are no hidden under-tones here.
Apologies if anyone took offence to this, it certainly wasn’t intended.
Ninjha, artist: Definitely! After reading all the comments and stuff, we had no idea this would be so controversial. Even while drawing it I thought of it as just a gag. I made sure the guns were powering up and stuff. The Stunticons were just supposed to scare them off, THATS IT. There is no reading into this, no hidden message, it is what you see.
Yes, well, while I see an alternative explanation that the Stunticon's violent approach could have been the trigger as opposed to their revealed gender, Mr. van Reyk seems to indicate otherwise. I honestly can't be arsed to go in and argue with them, but I'd say the intent on the writer's part is pretty obvious. Accidental gay is terrifying.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-29 12:46 pm (UTC)I was happy to see Stunticons, personally (and with animated Constructicons on the same page? Awesome!) I didn't actually think of the 'joke' part of it until I started reading the comments. (And then came back and read this.)
I was thinking that the Constructis were surprised that the cars actually transformed...d'oh -_-;;;Though, yeah, now that I get the real 'joke'...
That kinda sucks.
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Date: 2008-09-29 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-29 01:24 pm (UTC)The basic idea could've been handled better, since one honestly can't tell the 'gender' (I don't think TFs have the same ideas of gender as we do at all, but that's a separate rant) of an altmode. Like, say, Mix catcalls a 'babe', Scrapper pauses to question how exactly he knows it's a 'babe' at all - could be anybody. Cue a bit of awkwardness, strange imaginings of who the car could be, maybe a "Wanna still go after them?" "No. >>;" or something of the sort. It's not directly poking fun at the idea of The Gay, but more so that they really have no idea who they're chasing. But, nope, they just went for the same old dry gag.
It makes me sigh more than anything. It's lacking in maturity and creativity - I would mind less if it were any old fanart, but this is a mosaic piece. /: My expectations are... a bit higher. TF fandom really does need to realize that it's likely that our thoughts on gender/sexuality =/= how TFs think of gender/sexuality. Especially since femmes make up... what? Maybe less than a fifth of the race from what we see? Yeah. Silly fandom is silly.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-29 02:23 pm (UTC)Like, say, Mix catcalls a 'babe', Scrapper pauses to question how exactly he knows it's a 'babe' at all - could be anybody. Cue a bit of awkwardness, strange imaginings of who the car could be, maybe a "Wanna still go after them?" "No. >>;" or something of the sort.
Now see, I like this idea. It keeps the Constructicons in their usual 'straight horny male' persona, but makes it less about being horrified at the gay and more about being unsure exactly what they're chasing. Again, playing off a canon and personal issue rather than inserting human bias and fears.
And yeah, immaturity. The fact that it got past the Mosaic censors is depressing.
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Date: 2008-09-29 03:23 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-09-29 03:32 pm (UTC)It's not just the homophobia, the misogyny and female-objectification gets a turn in there too. I think Furman's Arcee needs to go to their houses and kick them until they learn a bit of respect.
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Date: 2008-09-29 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-09-29 07:00 pm (UTC)I think my gay best friend would have gotten a laugh at this. We crack jokes about gay people, metrosexual people, straight people, and people who don't know what they are. I mean, he calls HIMSELF a flaming faggot. In public. With his gay friends around him. He doesn't care when people call him things. He CHOOSES not to be offended, even if they were serious, and most of the time they're not.
These two characters (the constructicons) have shown in the cartoon that they are blatantly sexist pigs as well as being completely heterosexual. I think that if they had ever been in this situation, this is how it would happen.
The world needs to realize that your sexuality is not who you are, it's what you are. It's WHO you are that gets easily peeved by a joke or tries to find insults in everything that could possibly have even a smidgen of dealing with anything about you or someone you know.
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Date: 2008-09-29 08:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-29 08:04 pm (UTC)So if we can laugh about it in real life, why not in the comics too?
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Date: 2008-09-29 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-10-01 09:05 am (UTC)DUDE WTF
Date: 2008-11-17 03:02 pm (UTC)Re: DUDE WTF
Date: 2008-11-17 03:10 pm (UTC)Re: DUDE WTF
Date: 2008-11-17 09:38 pm (UTC)Re: DUDE WTF
Date: 2008-11-18 10:35 am (UTC)Also, I think you've failed your "Detect Sarcasm" roll.
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Date: 2008-11-17 03:31 pm (UTC)