marscentral said:
I think more is being read into this story than is really there. This is one film. A major one, sure, but still just one. It's not indicative of Warner Bros. changing it's hiring policies or that it will be doing this for other films in the future. All we have here is the desire to have a film about a superhero created to empower girls be directed by a woman. Sexism is a systemic problem and what we have here is a singular instance of deliberately bucking that trend for a feminist icon. Are we really arguing that men in a male dominated industry should be given equal consideration to tell this story?
I agree that this won't change things, at least not on it's own as the real change will be in changing the culture. It will be in more women going into the industry and finding opportunities to progress.
Sexism is a systemic problem but it is not only a systemic problem. In this case, refusing to consider male directors for a job is sexist, but is (likely) not part of a broader plan to expand that into a sexist policy at the company. That doesn't matter though, as sexism is unethical whether it's systemic or not. Systemic sexism is a much bigger problem than the more isolated kind but the former does not excuse the latter.
It makes no difference to me that the central character is designed to empower girls. That does not excuse a sexist hiring policy for this film. It makes no difference to me if the policy for this film is not part of a larger trend. That does not excuse a sexist hiring policy for this film.
And yes,
of course I'm arguing that men in a male dominated industry should be given equal consideration to tell this story! I am arguing that because I accept that sexism is unethical! It is a violation of people's civil rights for crying out loud! How on Earth could I possibly argue that men "shouldn't" be given equal consideration for this or any other film? That would literally be me arguing that, in this case, it is perfectly acceptable to suspend people's civil rights just because of who the character in the story is! I don't mean to pick on you either. I honestly see this sentiment all the time from my fellow progressives.
I just can't for the life of me figure out how in the world people got it in their head that suspending the civil rights of men is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. It's not okay for this one film. It's not okay just because the studio want's a female perspective on the character. It's not okay just because it might lead more women into the industry. It's not okay just because men make up the majority of the industry. Violating people's civil rights is not okay no matter what circumstances we dress it up in. We have a whole civil rights amendment to the constitution specifically because of how unethical this behavior is. Yet there are people who think that suspending the civil rights of people is okay because it's Wonder Woman?
I'm not under any assumption that arguing this will change your mind. You seem to be firmly in the "for the greater good" camp of progressive thought. That's an area I simply cannot go to. That line of thinking asks too much in return for too little. I'll never, ever accept that you can statistically demonstrate that violating the civil rights of one group of people is somehow going to fix the civil rights issues of another. The whole line of thinking turns people who claim to care about the abolishment of sexism/racism ect. into people who defend sexism/racism ect. I cannot and will not accept that the best path to a progressive future is through the victimization of people who are not traditionally discriminated against. I will not defend sexism and I will not join in with those who wish to redefine it so that only systemic sexism "counts as actual sexism." I do not have it in me.
I bear you no ill will and appreciate this conversation we are having greatly. Please do not think that what I write here is meant to be unkind to you. I laud the ideals that you seem to stand for. I am passionate about these subjects but I do not want my passion to be construed as polemic. I still happily call you friend, even though I don't know you.
