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Donald Trump

Stealing Our Voice: 1on1 with Anne de Mare and Laverne Berry (CAPTURING THE FLAG)

October 20, 2018 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Directed by Anne de Mare, Capturing the Flag tells the story of Election Day 2016 from the deeply personal perspective of a diverse team of volunteer voter protection workers in North Carolina that represents the final line of protection for each American citizen’s right to vote. Though they are faced with challenges from those associated directly with the political process, volunteer Laverne Berry and the rest of the team remain committed to ensuring that every person in their assigned areas has the opportunity to assert their civic duty. Although she didn’t understand the depth of the problem from the outset, de Mare quickly realized in the development of the film how widespread—and dangerous–that voter suppression really is.

“I really wanted to explore what it was like to be a citizen of conscience right now, and to talk about the role of the citizen,” de Mare remembers. “I didn’t understand going into the film how kind of insidious and pervasive modern-day voter suppression really was. It was a real education to me in the kinds of systemic cumulative barriers that we’ve placed in front of people trying to exercise their right to vote. So, for me, the inspiration originally came from a desire to talk about the power of being a citizen and the power of the vote.”

Rather than taking one specific form, de Mare notes that voter suppression reveals itself in many different ways.

“When people talk about voter suppression, they often think that its one big thing, but what you have to realize is that elections are won on the state level…,” she claims. “When you ask ‘What is voter suppression and how has that come to be?’, there is a real history about this that goes back to the beginning of our country. The fact is that we recognized certain people as being more valuable and more equipped to be able to exercise the right to vote from the very beginning and that was men of means of a particular race. Then, we went through the civil war and, right afterwards, men of color were also recognized who had means. Then, it changed and it’s been a continual change all through the last 160 years of adding and subtracting and adding and subtracting.”

“And it takes lots of different forms… If you didn’t have enough money to be able to pay the fee, you weren’t able to vote,” reiterates team volunteer Laverne Berry (who also serves as the film’s producer). “It takes the form of where polling places are put, what kinds of voting equipment people get, how people get purged from the role, etc… In this particular film, what you see are little slices… Part of it, we’re never able to show because, even though Anne was just wonderful and had one crew, our volunteers were in four different places… When you think of voter suppression, you’re not thinking of one big thing. You’re thinking of many, many tiny things which changed county to county.”

While voter suppression is widespread throughout the country, it also remains a subject that few people are talking about at a government level. Although she wishes that it wasn’t a problem, De Mare is excited that the film sheds light on an important issue that goes largely ignored.

“It’s interesting because, that day, my whole crew and I remember [were] really, really torn,” notes de Mare. “We wanted everything to be going smoothly for everyone but we also wanted to be able to capture moments when it wasn’t. We didn’t want to find the film we found, in a strange way. I’m really glad that we were able to tell the story because voter suppression is really hard to put your finger on now. It isn’t the kind of overt methods that we were fighting per se in the civil rights movement back in the fifties and sixties but the results are really, really devastating.”

“I think that one of the things that I’m really happiest about the film is that you see all of these small things happen over the course of the day. You see people being asked to vote provisionally. You see people being moved from one place to another. You see registrations that have gone missing from the DMV, but it really isn’t until the end of the night when we’re at Cliffdale and that statistic comes up on the screen that shows you how many people were not able to vote that the size of [the issue] comes to you. It makes sense after everything you’ve seen. And yet you don’t understand that it’s that severe. That’s why we have to work really, really hard to guarantee people’s right to vote.”

Of course, with so many issues with voter suppression, the obvious question remains on how to fix a broken system. To Berry, there are any number of ways in which the government could work to correct its grievous error.

“I think [we need to] work towards having an automatic registration so that we don’t have these different registrations,” she begins. “Another thing could be for us to not hold on to a Tuesday voting day, which is a remnant of when farmers had to take their food to market and get back. [We could] have a voting day that was on the weekend or each state would have early voting at different times… People in this country needs to be able to have a way to get to the polls and be able to vote. I’ve had many times where I arrive at the polls… and the line is already two hours long. People are trying go to work. Voting days [could] become a national holiday that people get off.”

“We need to bring election reform… to the front and center of the way that we talk about politics,” De Mare echoes. “That we can do. We can put that pressure on our politicians, you know. I think that that’s super important. The other thing we can do as citizens [is] to be watchdogs and get involved. Anyone can do the kind of work that Laverne, Steve and Claire did, if they have the time and the ability. People can sign up to be paid poll workers with their local board of elections and be a conscious citizen who’s in there helping to make the system work… There are things that we can all do. The goal of voter suppression is to make people feel powerless, right? You hear constantly that your vote doesn’t matter. What that does is [to] discourages people from being involved. The truth of the matter is that there have been a number of incredibly high profile elections recently that has been decided by a handful of votes… Your vote does matter.”

One of the most remarkable things about the film is reliving the events of one of the craziest election nights in history. As the tone moves wildly from optimism to frustration and angst, the night left an indelible mark on De Mare and her team.

“I think no matter what you feel politically that night was one of those moments that you just don’t forget because it was shocking in many ways,” says De Mare. “Some people say it wasn’t shocking, but it definitely shifted the direction of the country. I think everyone has their own story about where they were that night and what they felt.”

“We may want Candidate A but, when we get to the end of the day, I shouldn’t be taking anything away from Candidate B…,” argues Berry. “That night, when we were in that small hotel room, we got to be the people with the hope that we have and the disappointment that we have. [Our feelings] still don’t [mean] that we shouldn’t be out there working for everyone. What I like about the way the film is structured is that that’s not the end because that’s not the end… That’s just part of the motivation for getting out there the next time. For example, Steve and I have never done work in the midterm the way we’ve done for the presidential election, but we’re doing it in the midterms this time. We saw enough on that day about how bad things were working and how much work needed to be done that we need to do it for the midterms.”

Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome, Berry believes that voting in and of itself remains an act of faith. When asked what she means by this, Berry stresses that every vote offers the chance for the voter to participate in building the type of nation that that they feel is most needed.

“People get up and they stand in those lines when they go into those booths because they believe that they are exercising their right to actually have a say in how they’re governed,” she answers. “If we continue to do things to undermine that, then then that faith will go away and we will have no democratic structure. So, rather than then screaming about voter fraud when there really isn’t any or screaming about having to tighten ID laws or all of these other things, what we should be doing is looking at the candidates, listening to their platforms and understand what they’re saying. Then, go in and make up your own mind because that’s what we want from our citizens.”

For full audio of our interview with director Anne de Mare and producer Laverne Berry, click here.

Capturing the Flag is currently in limited released.

Filed Under: Film, Interviews, Podcast Tagged With: Anne De Mare, Capturing the Flag, Donald Trump, election, Laverne Berry, Trump, voter suppression

3.11 Discovering the HIDDEN FIGURES

February 12, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2.11-Hidden-Figures.mp3

This week on the show, Chris Utley joins Steve to talk diversity in the Oscars and their response to last years #OscarsSoWhite controversy!  Plus, they also look at the Oscar-nominated film, HIDDEN FIGURES and the cultural impact of breaking barriers of  race and gender!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.11 Hidden Figures

Thanks to Chris Utley for being on the show this week!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Academy Awards, America, Best Picture, Donald Trump, Grammys, Hidden Figures, Janelle Monáe, Octavia Spencer, Oscars, OscarsSoWhite, Pharrel, Taraji P Henson, Trump, women, women's rights

2016 sucked (and didn’t) and death is still the problem

December 29, 2016 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

15780676_10154935525978470_7574595387239350824_n

2016 retrospectives understandably
multiply at the moment,
as does the sentiment
that 2016 sucked,
on the whole

in general,
esp in terms of
what memes get
play on Facebook,
that’s probably accurate

many are pointing, still,
with dystopian, apocalyptic fervor,
at the ascension of
the one they call Trump

fair enough
and agreed
(but read this screed)

many more,
given the timing,
are pointing to
a perceived spate of
high-profile deaths

and fair enough,
agreed,
and i don’t need
to catalogue them here . . .
(we’ve seen, read,
perhaps wept,
at least wistfully remembered,
watched that old flick,
spun that classic disc,
relived triumphant
human moments,
reveled in kitsch
and gravitas alike)

tldr: i’m sad, like you,
and it does make me say,
with you,
that 2016 sucked

but/however

2016 also did not suck

perhaps it’d help to
catalogue items of hope?
births full of potential?
perhaps it’d help to
meme and proliferate
that instead?
to burn those images,
those memories,
into our heads?

and/also

i wonder whether
this spate is truly a spate,
or if bad things just
*seem* to come in bunches,
when one looks
for bad things,
when one memes,
in general,
on Facebook?

and/also

i wonder whether
it’s just that
we’re all of us
getting to a certain age,
our pop culture,
our social media,
included?

and/also/finally/respectfully

isn’t that the point?

that we’re all of us
getting to a certain age,
that we’re all of us
moments closer to the end,
like them,
even as we sit and
write/read this screed?

isn’t
death
still
the
problem?

yes/of course

yes, of course,
part of why
those who die
matter is:
as horrible reminder,
as gauges of
our own mortality,
our own significance –
their finished stories
meeting our continuing story,
their deaths foreshadowing
our eventual death

isn’t death still the problem?
a problematic
part of life at least?

don’t we
(at least)
wish
it
were
different?
and shouldn’t we?

don’t we
(at least)
wish for
a mollifying perspective?
a palliative of some sort?
a blow softener?
a medicine, a salve,
a balm in Gilead?
or maybe we even wish for
a solution,
a fix?
a de-stinger
for death’s sting?

don’t we,
ultimately,
wish for
death’s death?
for resurrection?
for vindicated life –
true life?

yes/of course

and/well

probably, maybe they’re
working on such a thing –
probably, hopefully
it’ll be around for 2017,
you know,
so we’re not just
here again in a year –
meming on Facebook
and so on . . .

or/perhaps

there’s such a thing already

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial Tagged With: 2016, Carrie Fisher, celebrity deaths, Christian, Christianity, David Bowie, death, Debbie Reynolds, Donald Trump, facebook, george michael, gospel, Jesus, prince, Social Media, spiritual

Westworld & Trump, Optimism & Hope

November 16, 2016 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

westworld_2
i’m highly optimistic about
HBO’s new hit show, Westworld
 
(if you’ve not seen it,
imagine a
sort-of sci-fi,
cyberpunk Western,
steeped in
J.J. Abrams style
cerebralism and cliffhangery;
a deliberately paced show
full of sweeping
panoramic shots,
shootouts, sex, robots
(rinse, recombine, repeat),
acting clinics put on
by a superb cast
(Anthony Hopkins
can do no wrong),
and enough intrigue to
[insert your own
cowboy-themed
capper here]
 
of course,
i’ve obviously seen the show,
so it’s not its
continued quality or excellence
i’m expressing optimism about, no
 
i’m optimistic that –
though at present
the plot has the
titular theme park
twisted into a knot
so dense and
so tending towards a
negative, gloomy,
“dark” view of things
(the future,
human nature,
etc.) –
it will
(eventually, ultimately)
take a turn towards a
positive, upbeat,
“bright” view of things,
or at least
use this view
to sweetly temper itself
and give us that
at-least bearable last look
 
i have this
optimistic opinion
for multiple reasons, chiefly:
i’m familiar with people
and with stories
 
i know the
showrunners,
the creators,
the people behind
Westworld
will want that
at-least bearable last look,
because that’s what people want;
so too this is what
watchers of Westworld will want;
so too this is
what stories uniformly give us
(why this is so
is a great question, though
attempting an answer
belongs elsewhere)
 
i have this
optimistic opinion,
in other words,
based on evidence –
previous knowledge,
experience, etc. –
and it seems to me
that it makes sense to be
optimistic in such cases
 
d6d107341a8cb99e2fe6be48fff69ee56898ed8a
on the other (small, orange) hand,
i’m not highly optimistic about the
USA’s new hit show,
Donald Trump, Prez Elect
 
(if you’ve not seen it,
imagine a
post-truth “reality” TV show
so unimaginable,
you’d never be able to
imagine it happening
in actual reality,
and then
imagine it happening
in actual reality)
 
if it makes sense to have an
optimistic opinion
based on evidence –
previous knowledge,
experience, etc. –
then it seems to me
that it doesn’t make sense to be
optimistic in this case
 
quite the opposite, in fact,
unfortunately
 
however
 
though there may not be
reason to be
optimistic about
the prospect of a
President Trump,
there is always
reason to be
hopeful
 
hopeful in that old
Bibley, Christiany, Jesusy
way, where –
despite current
circumstantial evidence,
despite lack of evidence
that might lead to an
optimistic opinion –
you still know that
*it’s going to be okay*
because how things go down
in this world (and beyond)
isn’t ultimately up to us humans
 
hopeful in that old
it’s-Friday-now-but-Sunday’s-coming
kind of way,
that old
“in this world you’ll have trouble,
but i’ve overcome the world”
kind of way,
that old
“God will wipe away every tear”
kind of way
 
hopeful, in other words,
in that old kind of way that
optimism,
for all its
sometimes sensible charms,
can only aspire to
 
are you hopeful like this?
not optimistic, but hopeful?
if not, you can be;
would you like to be?
 
would you like to have
an option beyond
understandable pessimism?
justified fear?
anger?
an option beyond
bemoaning on social media,
assuaging pains with
Obama Biden memes?
 
an option beyond
the current
irrationality of optimism?
an option beyond
just another shot in
just another four years?
 
you can;
would you like to?
 
all it takes,
humbly, hopefully, friend,
is a ride west of
present perspective,
on a horse of a different color,
made just for you,
just for all of us
 
a horse with a new name
for a new world
 
a horse that you don’t have to drive
alone
 
a horse that alone can take
us to a place
where actual action can happen
 
from here
right now

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Christian, Donald Trump, HBO, hope, Optimism, President, review, spiritual, television, Trump, TV, Westworld

Trumping the Polls

March 2, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

the-celebrity-apprentice-2015

With Super Tuesday behind us, our world seems to be hurtling towards the once unthinkable—but now inevitable—presidential smackdown between Hillary Clinton and, yes, Donald Trump.

The same Donald Trump who said he wanted to build a wall next to Mexico and ask them to pay for it. The same Donald Trump who took on Megyn Kelly. The same Donald Trump who called for a ban on all Muslims.

That man could—potentially—be the next President of the United States.

(Editor’s Note: At this point, you may be wondering how this post appeared on our site. After all, this has nothing to do with film or faith, right? Don’t worry. We’ll get there.)

All along, he’s run a campaign that has been brash, brutal and brazenly racist by capitalizing on a fear-based culture. He’s said the unthinkable with pride and enthusiasm and, to be blunt, seems like a monster of epic proportions.

And I don’t believe a word of it.

Now, here I should probably pause to admit that I don’t fully understand American politics. (That’s not because I’m Canadian. It’s because of my lack of interest.) To be honest, I don’t really even understand how the ‘two-party system’ has survived in this day and age. I couldn’t tell you how many representatives are in the senate or the official duties of the President.

But I do know reality tv… and Trump is the master of reality television.

Live Finale
Live Finale

Let’s not forget that, for over a decade, Trump has maintained a public presence as host of The Apprentice (and Celebrity Apprentice) and I admit that I’ve always been a fan of the show. From the business-oriented tasks to, yes, Trump’s larger-than-life personality (and hair), I have always enjoyed his series more than others like Survivor or The Amazing Race. There’s something about the utter chaos of the Boardroom scenes that simply fascinates me, whether it’s watching grown men and women ‘throw each other under the bus’ or Trump’s bizarre reasoning as to which contestant he should ‘fire’.

And herein lies my point.

Everyone who watches reality shows knows that the way to build ratings is to cause drama. If all the contestants get along, it’s simply not ‘good’ television. (No one watches The Real Housewives for their witty political banter.) As a result, over the years, The Apprentice has offered us some of the most cutthroat feuds and villains in reality history. (Omirosa, anyone?)

You see, Trump also knows how to stir the pot. When ratings are down, Trump knows how to get you to pay attention again. Fights with Rosie O’Donnell? Controversial statements? These things always took place before a new season was about to air or be announced. Trump knows that, in order to garner the interest, he needs to cause drama.

Vicious, nasty drama.

Having said this, let’s take a step back and examine his campaign to this point. As time has gone on, his statements have gotten increasingly outlandish and offensive. He has flip-flopped on policies and even bold-faced lied. I’ve even heard him compared to Hitler and even the Anti-Christ.

And we can’t stop paying attention.

Somehow, Trump has managed to stay in the public eye without any particular ‘platform’. Keep in mind that, although this is the first official time he’s run for office, it’s far from the first time that he’s been expressing interest the Oval Office.  In fact, prior to this election campaign, he floated the idea of running for President in 1988 (when he actually lost his spot on the ‘ticket’ to Dan Quayle), 2004 and, most famously, 2012.  (Remember his quest for Obama’s birth certificate?)  All of these years have been his way of figuring out how to manipulate the campaign trail to his benefit.

And now, he’s become a monster… because that’s what he knows we wanted to see. It has set him apart from the rest. Any time Trump began to slip in the polls to the Ben Carson or Ted Cruz, Trump would say something even more outlandish than the last statement and we’d all immediately start focusing on his antics.

Do I think he’s a sexist? Probably. Do I hate the things he’s said? Absolutely.

But do I think he’s stupid? Not for a moment.

In fact, I believe that he’s taken this election and simply made it the first ‘reality campaign’. Call it Keeping Up with the Kandidates if you will—but he’s really the only one we’ve been talking about. (An excellent example of this is Sandra Bullock’s Our Brand is Crisis. Rent it. It’s eerily familiar…)

sandra-bullock-1024

And that’s the problem.

Trump’s improbable victories come as a direct result of our own desire to watch the latest ‘hot mess’. From Honey Boo-Boo to Kanye West, we love a good ‘train wreck’. It’s possible that it’s because we want to use those people to make us feel better about ourselves but either way, we are attracted to the disaster.  If drama weren’t what we craved—if another villain isn’t what we wanted—would Trump stand out? Not a chance.

Trump’s campaign has consistently played on our own lack of interest in taking responsibility for our world, our own lives and sinfulness. Too often, not only do we want to be distracted from looking within, we even look for others to be the reason for society’s ills. Trump has essentially thrown every possible ethnicity or gender in our way and said “The problem isn’t you. It’s them!” This type of propaganda merely allows us the freedom to feel like we’re not the one’s who have been called to participate in what God wants to do. We can’t blame Jesus for not making ‘His Kingdom come’ if we’re not willing to be changed along the way.

Rather than shifting blame. We need to take responsibility.

Trump’s brazen campaign merely exposes this within us. Personally, I simply don’t think anyone could be as ‘bad’ as he pretends to be. It’s possible… but unlikely. (Though, believe me, I’m praying that I’m wrong in this case…) In all honesty, I wouldn’t be surprised if, by May/June, he completely retracted everything he’s said to this point. What he’s done may win a nomination, but it couldn’t possibly win a presidency?

Right?

Please say I’m right.

Filed Under: Current Events, Television Tagged With: Donald Trump, Real Housewives, Reality TV, The Apprentice

Star Wars Episode VI: Compassion Leads to The Return of the Jedi

December 15, 2015 by Mark Sommer Leave a Comment

return2“Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil gangster Jabba the Hutt.”

So begins The Return of the Jedi. This sentence seems to explain the meaning of the title, but there are definitely other circumstances in the movie which apply. Not only does Luke return home, but he also returns (briefly) to the Dagobah system as he promised Yoda. Later, he returns to face Darth Vader. Furthermore, at the end of the film, Vader returns to being a Jedi. The Return of the Jedi could refer to any of these situations, and since “Jedi” can be either singular of plural, both Luke and Vader could be in view.

At some point, the title of Episode VI was going to be The Revenge of the Jedi. There was even a teaser trailer released in 1982 which used that title. However, the theme of “revenge” does not fit what actually happens in the movie. Jedi are not supposed to be motivated by revenge. Revenge contributed to why Anakin Skywalker was drawn to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. It is fitting that the word did not headline any of the movies in the Saga until The Revenge of the Sith.

return3

When Luke comes to liberate Han, he gives Jabba several opportunities to solve the conflict peacefully. It was about rescue, not revenge. And, despite the advice of his mentors Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke refuses to exact revenge on Vader, but seeks to rescue him, too. Obi-Wan was certain Luke’s refusal to kill Vader meant “the Emperor has already won.” But Luke was able to “feel the good” in him, convinced his father could be “turned back to the good side.”

And, as Vader acknowledges as he lies dying, Luke was right. Luke was not able to rescue his father physically, but his spiritual rescue had already been accomplished. Luke’s compassion for his friends and his father, instead of causing the Emperor to win, paved a path of deliverance even sage Jedi were unable to see.

The Other Hope: An Undauntable Princess Gets a Makeover

Luke was right, but what if he hadn’t been? Obi-Wan opines Luke is the “only hope.” But, as Yoda says in The Empire Strikes Back, “There is another.” In Return, we finally understand what Yoda means. With his dying breath, he tells Luke, “There is another Skywalker.” Obi-Wan seems to have discounted this other hope—this other Skywalker.

Of course, the other Skywalker is Leia. And it would be unwise to discount her.

return4When Luke rejoins the Alliance, he has a conversation with his sister, letting her in on the secret Obi-Wan had been keeping from them. He tells her she is the “only hope for the Alliance” if he does not return from facing Vader. He reminds her she has “always been strong.”

Hollywood has always had a hard time portraying strong women. They are usually angry and bitter, needing the influence of the “right man” to mellow them. Of course, that particular story line is older than the movies. Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew comes to mind. Even in the 21st century it is hard to find a modern movie with a strong female role which isn’t skewed this way. The shrew must be tamed.

In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1983, Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Leia in the original trilogy, spoke to this.

“There are a lot of people who don’t like my character in these movies; they think I’m some kind of space bitch. She has no friends, no family; her planet was blown up in seconds—along with her hairdresser—so all she has is a cause. From the first film, she was just a soldier, front line and center. The only way they knew to make the character strong was to make her angry. In Return of the Jedi, she gets to be more feminine, more supportive, more affectionate. But let’s not forget that these movies are basically boys’ fantasies. So the other way they made her more female in this one was to have her take off her clothes.”

In this image provided by 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, a scene from "Star Wars" movie released by 20th Century-Fox in 1977.  From left are: Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. (AP Photo/20th Century-Fox Film Corporation)
In this image provided by 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, a scene from “Star Wars” movie released by 20th Century-Fox in 1977. From left are: Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill. (AP Photo/20th Century-Fox Film Corporation)

Wow. Fisher speaks with a bluntness few actresses match even three decades later. Unfortunately, too many even middle-aged and older men* today still view women this way, and those with “boys’ fantasies” too often are being pandered to by the industry. In a 2013 article on McMillan’s TOR.com, Emily Asher-Perrin argues,

“…plenty of us ladies would argue about Star Wars being strictly a boy’s fantasy, but Fisher is correct in context; at the time that Star Wars originally came out, the population certainly agreed that these films were made primarily for kids and teenage boys, and they were marketed as such. So her point about being in the bikini is even more valid—it is hard to suggest that costume change is there for anything but male gaze.”

To be fair, the bikini scenes do end with Leia getting the upper hand, giving her a chance to show her strength again as she turns her chain of subjugation into a weapon of freedom. However, in later scenes in the Ewok village, where she for the first time quite literally “lets her hair down,” she is impotent to persuade the indigenous creatures to free her friends, and has to rely on Luke’s trickery.

Whatever the criticism, it is noteworthy that George Lucas did endeavor to create a strong female character, and the legacy of Princess Leia is, at least in part, a good one. As Asher-Perrin concludes,

“Carrie Fisher always understood why Leia was going to be an important figure to women and fans the world over. Why she was needed when she hit the stage. Even if Hollywood did need to ‘soften’ her, no one has ever been able to soften her impact—real heroes have a tendency to shine no matter how you dress them.”

So, what is the solution? Where does Hollywood find the right balance without catering to the crowd who want to see women tamed?

In her 2014 San Diego ComicCon interview, Evangeline Lilly, who portrayed the elf Tauriel in the Hobbit movies, argued female heroes should be both strong and compassionate.

“…there has been this pendulum swing… Women went from being this helpless heroine to trying to pretend to be men. …how is that gender equality? …it was my mission to represent true female strength. …our strength, as women, comes from our compassion, our selflessness, our instincts to help—to protect, to put others first. … Look what I can do. I can protect, and I can have compassion and be selfless, and I can care and be gentle… be feminine and graceful – while slaughtering orcs.”

Most of the above should apply to male heroes, too. Compassion and selflessness certainly apply to Luke Skywalker. Compassion and strength do not have to be mutually exclusive—in women, or in men. In fact, we see the perfect combination of the two in Jesus Christ.

___________

*Donald Trumps’ misogynistic conduct with women is the elephant (pun intended) in the room right now. His reaction to Megyn Kelly in the Republican presidential debates underscores how women too often are treated. His accusation Kelly was not “playing nice” is an example of the double standard often used for women in business. In a blog post on HuffingtonPost.com, Karen Frankola addresses this kind of gender bias: “The next time you’re about to criticize a female colleague for a lack of niceness, ask yourself if you would criticize a man for the same behavior. Can you shift your perspective to focus on competence rather than personality? I don’t think Steve Jobs ever worried about being called nice.”

Filed Under: DVD, Editorial, Featured, Film, News, Reviews, Star Wars Tagged With: Carrie Fisher, Donald Trump, Huffington Post, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars

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