Lifted from the comments because… well, apparently, this is where we are now as a culture:
You see, it’s not enough for a blockbuster film to feature lots of heroic women being no less feisty and capable than their male counterparts, or for said film to end with a call for help to a cosmically powerful female superhero. No, these ass-kicking female characters must also have certain woke-approved hairstyles. Which in fact at least four of them do. But that doesn’t count, somehow. Because what matters is contriving an excuse, however slim and improbable, for some feigned indignation. And the words “gender fascism.”
Black Widow's hair is shorter than Bucky's.
Posted by: Liz | April 30, 2018 at 09:37
Black Widow’s hair is shorter than Bucky’s.
Hey, I’m just illustrating your point.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 09:44
My reply to Rebecca Jennings.
Posted by: Connor | April 30, 2018 at 09:59
Is she upset that the ladies have a nice mane of hair, or does Ms Jennings wish to have them with short hair? I'm confused. So where is the tequila?
Posted by: Black Ball | April 30, 2018 at 10:04
#HairDiversityNow
Posted by: Alice | April 30, 2018 at 10:06
I’m confused. So where is the tequila?
So far as I can tell, the grievance is that “flowing hair” is terribly sexist and problematic when the hair in question is a woman’s. Thor’s formerly flowing locks, and Loki’s, and Bucky’s, don’t count. And likewise, the numerous female characters who don’t fit with Ms Jennings’ predetermined conclusion. (Among them, Shuri, Okoye, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Nebula, and so on.)
But then, if you’ve been taught that all you need is to find some incredibly trivial thing and then pretend to disapprove of it, while congratulating yourself, this will happen.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 10:44
Sometimes I can't tell the difference between idiots and lunatics.
Posted by: MC | April 30, 2018 at 11:41
It’s woke journalism Don’t you dare mock it.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 11:42
Thor’s formerly flowing locks, and Loki’s, and Bucky’s, don’t count.
Presumably some woke creature will tell us that this is evidence that they are "trans" or something.
Posted by: pst314 | April 30, 2018 at 12:43
They're fighting for their gender. Even though they clearly despise anyone who has ever displayed traits typcially associated with that gender.
Posted by: Hector Drummond, Vile Novelist | April 30, 2018 at 12:56
Question: Should I be alarmed that I have no idea who these people are, whom we're discussing? Or, should I just stay at the bar and sample the selection of vodkas until there's a change of topic?
Posted by: R. Sherman | April 30, 2018 at 12:57
I've concluded that Woke Journalism is synonymous with Poe's Law
Posted by: billdehaan | April 30, 2018 at 13:34
Or, should I just stay at the bar and sample the selection of vodkas until there’s a change of topic?
[ Slides faded, dusty cocktail menu along bar. ]
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 13:42
Next week, why ponytails are sexist.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 13:53
If they had worn ponytails it would have been sexist.
Nothing you do will ever keep a sadist fully satisfied.
Posted by: Squires | April 30, 2018 at 13:53
Remember, this is sexist.
And this is also sexist.
But this isn’t.
Just so we’re clear on this. Because, God knows, there will be a test at some point.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 14:07
Helicopters. I keep telling you people.
Posted by: Daniel Ream | April 30, 2018 at 14:14
It’s woke journalism Don’t you dare mock it.
Whatever it is it's not journalism.
Posted by: Mike | April 30, 2018 at 14:27
Helicopters. I keep telling you people.
This is my baffled face.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 14:28
Whatever it is it’s not journalism.
How dare you, sir. She identifies as a journalist.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 14:29
Helicopters. I keep telling you people.
Is this what you mean? It would seem up to the task of taking care of the problem.
Fun fact: My dad did some engineering on the Viper's predecessor, the Cobra, in the way back.
Ok, back to the bar. David, would you be so kind as to hand me that bottle of Grey Goose from the upper left shelf? There's a good lad.
Posted by: R. Sherman | April 30, 2018 at 14:51
And there was I thinking that the pneumatic chests of most of the females was the sexist bits! (More obviously in the comics though.)
Posted by: Chester Draws | April 30, 2018 at 14:56
BTW, I tossed something into the tip-jar in hopes that we'll soon get back to normal around here. Where "normal" is defined as fat, ugly, lesbian performance artists rolling around in paint or something.
You know, something we can get our teeth into.
Posted by: R. Sherman | April 30, 2018 at 14:57
David, would you be so kind as to hand me that bottle of Grey Goose from the upper left shelf?
Grey fat, you say? Help yourself. I’ll get you a spoon.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 14:59
I tossed something into the tip-jar in hopes that we’ll soon get back to normal around here.
Bless you, sir.
[ Fetches larger, fancier spoon. ]
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 15:01
helicopters
This is more what I had in mind (no idea whether Chester was thinking the same thing or not).
Posted by: jabrwok | April 30, 2018 at 15:12
D'oh! Daniel, not Chester.
It was a natural mistake!
Posted by: jabrwok | April 30, 2018 at 15:12
Shorter Rebecca Jennings:
[high-pitched shrieking]
NOT BUTCH ENOUGH!!!
Posted by: Spiny Norman | April 30, 2018 at 15:39
Why do I suspect Ms. Jennings has lousy hair and can't contain her jealousy?
Posted by: Burnsie | April 30, 2018 at 15:42
Next week, why ponytails are sexist.
That. ;-D
Posted by: [+] | April 30, 2018 at 16:07
Why do I suspect Ms. Jennings has lousy hair and can't contain her jealousy?
I suspected Sailer's Law too, but judging by her Twitter photo she has very nice hair.
Posted by: Julie Christie | April 30, 2018 at 16:21
That.
But that’s the thing. The game being played seems to involve finding something both trivial and improbable to complain about – the more trivial and improbable, the better - thereby alerting readers to one’s woke credentials. The fact that the complaint may be incoherent, badly researched and generally unconvincing doesn’t seem to matter much. Presumably on grounds that the goal posts must continually move, with ever more rarefied agonies being signalled, even if this means that next week’s complaint contradicts the current one.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 16:22
And there was I thinking that the pneumatic chests of most of the females was the sexist bits!
Fun fact: it is somebody's job to spray Scarlet Johansen's breasts before each scene with silicone so they stay shiny.
fat, ugly, lesbian performance artists rolling around in paint or something.
You know, something we can get our teeth into.
Well, there's an image I'm not going to be able to get out of my head.
Posted by: Daniel Ream | April 30, 2018 at 17:30
The only logical explanation for this article is that Ms. Jennings is, in fact, a princess but for some reason, presumably something to do with discretion being the better part of valor, she cannot let on that she is indeed a princess. She seeks to be rescued and this is her secret cry for help. See there was once a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but was having difficulty finding a suitable wife. Something was always wrong with those he met, and he could not be certain they were real princesses because they had bad table manners or they were too fat or thin or not beautiful. One stormy night a young woman drenched with rain sought shelter in the prince's castle. She claimed to be a princess, so the prince's mother decided to test their unexpected, unwitting guest by placing a pea in the bed she was offered for the night, covered by 20 mattresses and 20 feather-beds. In the morning, the guest told her hosts that she endured a sleepless night, kept awake by something hard in the bed that she was certain has bruised her. The prince rejoiced. Only a real princess would have had the sensitivity to feel a pea through such a quantity of bedding, so the two married.
The pea was placed in a museum, where it can still be seen today, unless someone has removed it.
Posted by: WTP | April 30, 2018 at 17:44
Well, there’s an image I’m not going to be able to get out of my head.
Think good thoughts.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 18:25
. . . . even if this means that next week’s complaint contradicts the current one.
Oh, no no, David, and you must now report to room 101.
You should know better than anyone else that next week is completely in alignment with this week, and last week, and . . . .
Posted by: Hal | April 30, 2018 at 19:39
Well, there’s an image I’m not going to be able to get out of my head.
Think good thoughts.
See. All you need is a furtive glance, a hint of a raised eyebrow, a whiff of a smile and a few quid in the tip jar and shit happens around here.
It's sort of like a strip club, now that I think about it, hump fat notwithstanding.
Posted by: R. Sherman | April 30, 2018 at 21:26
It’s sort of like a strip club, now that I think about it, hump fat notwithstanding.
A new tagline for the brochure.
Posted by: David | April 30, 2018 at 21:32
In these movies, everyone is so damn clean and the bad guys never grab the good guys by that long beautiful clean hair and break their neck. But then I suppose that it is a fantasy.
Regarding Ms. Johansen and shiny boobs. I suppose that this is a family blog so I'm not allowed to express approval.
Posted by: Richard | April 30, 2018 at 22:15
Regarding Ms. Johansen and ...
Scrolls back through thread more slowly.
Posted by: lotocoti | April 30, 2018 at 22:52
Just regarding the perceived sexism. I Googled 'shows with gay chracters' and I was pointed to one where Netflix has a list of 21 series/fillums with 'awesome gay characters'. Now a quick perusal of the 21 in question reveals that there is not a great deal of wymynses in lead roles for gayness. I am sure this will be rectified by Ms Jennings, riding in on horseback to save the day. Sans ponytails of course.
https://www.pride.com/netflix/2016/3/25/21-netflix-shows-awesome-gay-characters#slide-21
Posted by: Black Ball | May 01, 2018 at 00:44
No Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival, as expected. Author clearly has a poor grasp of what is "awesome".
Posted by: Squires | May 01, 2018 at 01:07
In the next movie, they should give all the white women superheroes dreadlocks.
Posted by: Ted S., Catskill Mtns., NY, USA | May 01, 2018 at 01:23
I guess we should all just admit that everything is racist...
https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2018/04/30/hotel-shampoo-racist/
Posted by: champ | May 01, 2018 at 02:10
No Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival, as expected.
Oh, bother. That looks like it could be fun.
Oh, well.
We'll just have to make do.
Posted by: Hal | May 01, 2018 at 02:49
Tom Wolfe, "In the Land of the Rococo Marxists"
Posted by: Emil Zatopek | May 01, 2018 at 03:18
Thanks for that, Emil. A most enjoyable read. I'd forgotten just how good Tom Wolfe can be at his best. Also from the above, this, I think, will appeal to our gracious host:
Posted by: Captain Nemo | May 01, 2018 at 09:07
The more things change...
Posted by: David | May 01, 2018 at 09:28
Accused of pushing 3rd-rate SJW clickbait, Matthew Yglesias proudly owns it: "We’ve pushed it from Day One. Both social justice and getting people to click on the articles are good."
Posted by: Turk Turkleton | May 01, 2018 at 12:43
I would point, once again, to Dr Niemietz's explanation of virtue signalling as a positional good.
Posted by: TomJ | May 02, 2018 at 10:01
Dr Niemietz’s explanation of virtue signalling as a positional good.
Absolutely.
Posted by: David | May 02, 2018 at 10:39
The low point for me was the SJW hissy fit at Black Widow's grief she couldn't have children in Ultron. Because for some reason this very real grief that millions of women (and men) encounter is not something an empowerful womyn is allowed to have.
Posted by: TimT | May 03, 2018 at 11:48
the SJW hissy fit at Black Widow’s grief she couldn’t have children
Which says more about the pretensions and insecurities of those doing the hissing than anything about the character.
The Romanov-Banner romance, on the other hand, was a bit of a shambles.
Posted by: David | May 03, 2018 at 12:14