More thoughts on “Man of Steel”…

…because apparently I’m a glutton for punishment – but what can I say, this has me “all fired up”, and here’s why:

So you may or may not have seen my “Man of Steel” review that posted here.

Long story short, I am not a fan.

I listed two primary reasons in my original post as to what were, essentially “dealbreakers” for me.

*SPOILERS

It seemed that reason #1 in my original post (Superman does not kill people EVER – that to do so fundamentally changes his character) was the one that got the biggest reaction (read: RAEG) from people. I really don’t have anything else to add to my original post in that regard – I’d just be repeating myself if I did.

Reason #2 (the use of women in the military as a cheap “joke”) on the whole was mostly supported, but I received a lot of “Hey, chill out, it’s just a joke” or “give her a break, he’s Superman for goodness sakes!”

Here’s why it’s not just a joke, and why I will not give “her” a break.

Let’s review the scene in question:

General: Are you crazy?
Supes: I know you’re trying to find where I hang my cape. That’s not going to happen.
General: How can we trust you?
Supes: General, I grew up in Kansas.
*flies away*
General turns to smiling captain who happens to be a woman.
General: Do you find this funny?
Captain: No, he’s just, well, kinda hot.

Funny, right? Got big laughs, right?

This is how DC thinks women in the military behave when faced with an attractive man, in a professional situation, around a senior ranking officer.

Well, if that’s ok, then how about this?

Wonder Woman: I know you’re trying to find where I hang my lasso. That’s not going to happen.
General: How can we trust you?
Wonder Woman: I guess you’ll just have to.
*Gets in invisible jet and flies away*
General turns to smiling captain who happens to be a man.
General: Do you find this funny?
Captain: No, she’s just, well, kinda hot.

I’m sure some people would laugh at this, but I think, on the whole it would lead to awkward silence… a massive “did they really just…?”

And why is that? Because we would all view the male captain as a sexist pig for oogling Wonder Woman like that and reducing her sex object. Never mind that she just fought a bunch of supervillains and saved the word, no, let’s focus on the fact that Wonder Woman is “kinda hot.” That would not go over well with most audiences in this day & age.

But the reverse is acceptable? It’s OK because “Oh gosh, the girl just couldn’t help herself, because he’s SUPERMAN for goodness sakes!”

Because if that’s ok, does that mean this is too:

General: How can we trust you?
Supes: General, I grew up in Kansas.
*turns and flies away*
General turns to smiling captain who happens to be a man.
General: Do you find this funny?
Captain: No, he’s just, well, kinda hot.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I don’t think the gay community would appreciate this portrayal for the same reason straight men & women should be upset by the previous two examples… None of these are ok, and here’s why:

Each of these situations show the Captain acting unprofessionally. It not only portrays the junior officer corps in the military negatively, but also portrays each of these groups of people in the worst, most stereotypical way possible: the giggling girl only after a man, the male chauvinist pig who only values a woman based on her looks/sexuality, the homosexual man who can’t focus on the job because he’s been distracted by an attractive man.

Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but personally I don’t think it’s OK to reduce an entire group of people to a negative stereotype just to get a laugh.

As I’ve said before, I am an officer in the Marine Corps, and if it were me in that situation would I have found Superman attractive? Heck yes! I mean just look at him (points to photos above) – he’s hot!

Would I have giggled and told my boss? Heck no! That’s a phone call for my best friend when I get home later that night.

Because here’s the reality, if the army operates at all like the Marine Corps, they don’t just put anyone to be a 3 star general’s aide-de-camp.

That captain is someone who has been carefully screened, interviewed, and are bringing their “A game.” In short, this person is generally a rockstar, and not someone likely to break down in giggles and blushes when they see someone they consider “hot.”

So how do I think that scene should have gone down? Well for starters you can still make a joke, just not a cheap/easy joke. Maybe give the long time Superman/DC fans a little bit of a easter egg.

General: How can we trust you?
Supes: General, I grew up in Kansas.
*turns and flies away*
General turns to captain attempting to stifle a smile.
General: Do you find this funny?
Captain: No, Sir. It’s just that he kind of reminds me of that nut in Gotham…

Or any number of jokes that you could come up with in about 5 minutes. There is no need to be lazy & go for the easy laugh!

In closing, I’d like to say thank you DC/Zach Snyder (director)/David S. Goyer (screenplay)/Christopher Nolan (producer)/ pretty much anyone who had a hand in creating/approving that scene for portraying women in the military as a cheap joke.

It’s good to know where we stand with you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And after reading all that, please don’t forget that I’ve got a kickstarter going for Time Traveled Tales, with stories by Aaron Allston, Michael A. Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, Bryan young, many others, and yours truly! http://tinyurl.com/m7w5ox6

Lastly, need a copy of one of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.