Help me, O Mighty LJ!

[ship_go_boom]

So I qualify for an exemption from English 102 (Composition II).  But I have to write a five-page research paper in order to get it.

Thursday afternoon, I finally came up with an idea (ie, something I actually wanted to research).  Problem is, all I have for a starting point is bugger all and a pet theory.  So I need help (please?).

My theory is that some of most noteworthy (or at least most common) discriminatory offenses (racism, sexism, etc.) in mass-market media entertainment are strongly correlated with attempts to alleviate accusations of same.  Examples:

Sometime last fall (IIRC), there was a metafandom kerfuffle about the lack of characters of color in fanfic.  I don't remember how it started, but I remember that there were a lot of people who admitted to not writing characters of color because they were so afraid of Getting them Wrong.  I didn't pay much attention to this phenomenon at the time, but I thought of it almost immediately when I started considering the next item.

I've recently encountered a lot of (justified, but sometimes overblown) complaints about sexism in comic books, many of them centering on Robin IV.  Otherwise known as the first Girl Robin.  It makes sense that a girl would be a Robin eventually, as people have been complaining about the Batman comics' boys-only cast for years.  But this puts a girl in the sidekick role, and one must always remember the Golden Rule of Sidekicks: they exist to be abused and to provide angst for the hero.  Not a big deal when the sidekick is one of a hundred other male characters, but when it's one of the relatively few female characters?  Then it's a problem.  Disclaimer:  I admit to not having read the books where Stephanie appeared as Robin (I was quite fond of her Spoiler days, though), so I could be missing something, but this my take on the situation.  (And keep in mind she lasted more than twice as long as Jason.)

See what I'm getting at here?  Good intentions ------->  Hell.

I talked very briefly with my Sociology professor (we both had other classes to get to) about this concept, and she seemed to think it was worth looking into a bit further.  But like I said, I don't know where to start.  I've never noticed any research on this subject (or this variation of it).  I ask you, o great and powerful internet-peoples, to please give me recs.

I need citeable sources.  Books, articles, any credible source I can present to a professor.  Hell, if you are a credible source (ie, professional writer, academic who's noticed this) and wouldn't mind giving a statement/interview, that would be great, too.  Email me.  (It's probably best to go through my LJ email, so you don't accidentally get junk-filtered.)

Thank you very much! 

P.S.  If you link to this post, you will make me a very very happy bunny.  Thanks!

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Consider yourself pimped!

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thank you!

[confusedkayt.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. No direct theories, but I might poke around in a few anthro books on fanfiction... In fact, if you'd like, after you've done that bit of poking around I can get you Henry Jenkins' e-mail address. Fandom is his field of research (he's at MIT), so he might be able to point you somewhere.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

One of my flist linked to this post. I don't have anything of note, but I'll be happy to link to it...there are a lot of writers and teachers etc. on my flist, who may have more information that would help.

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

And hooray for Calvin and Hobbes!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Comment left by Miss M to my pimp post -

I'm not sure it's exactly what you want, but the recent Grey's Anatomy issue comes to mind. I don't watch the show and I haven't been following closely, but I believe the most recent uproar resulted from the actor's effort to explain himself.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/25/tv.greys.anatomyfeud.ap/index.html

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

I have no idea whether or not this will help you, but recently there was an Op-Ed in the Washington Post by comedian Jordan Carlos (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010501613_pf.html).

Carlos is the guy who's photo is used on the Colbert Report - Stephen Colbert lampooned the White Guy claiming to have a 'Black friend' as a means of excusing racist attitudes... ironically, COlbert had no african american writers.

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

I might be able to work with this. I had been thinking in terms of serialized entertainment - especially comic books - with a mind to the economic systems thereof (less financial risk to introduce a female supporting character than to create a whole new series). But I may be able to work the comedy angle.

The bits about the Daily Show were really interesting and ironic in the light of how effective the "Black Guy" lampoon was.

Oh, hey... idea. I should check into the origins of blaxploitation films and such, that would probably be right what I'm looking for. Thanks!

[timeliebe.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this will help, but a majority of blaxploitation movies were written and produced by white people - who might or might not hire a black director, depending. An Amazon search pulled up America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies by Harry M. Benshoff and Sean Griffin and Black Film/White Money by Jesse Algeron Rhines that might be worth reading.

I had been looking for a book on blaxploitation history that I'd seen at Kim's Video in New York City a year or so back, but I don't really remember the name offhand and none of the choices Amazon coughed up sounded like it.

Hope this helps,Best,
Tim Liebe
Dreaded Spouse-Creature of Tamora Pierce (http://www.tamorapierce.com/) - and co-writer of Marvel's WHITE TIGER comic (http://www.tamorapierce.com/marvel.htm)

(http://spousecreature.blogspot.com/)

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Eep! I'm so sorry that it's taken me this long to get back to you.

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it. I already suspected that blaxploitation films were created by whites, but unfortunately the only piece I'd seen on the subject was Hollywood Shuffle, and I somehow doubt that semi-obscure comedy films make very good academic references... ;) The book recs should help a lot.

Thanks again!

[mefnord.livejournal.com]

I read your thesis at Curiouswombat's LJ and it resonated with something, although it might be not quite what you're looking for.

Back when Salman Rushdie published The Satanic Verses there was a huge outcry of Muslim anger (some of it violent, although most notably and visibly were the public book burnings). I read an argument somewhere, that British liberals (and conservatives, of course) intensified the Muslim outlash by consistently argueing for the right of free speech and against book cencorship (which are fundamental rights) and thus took away from Muslims the right to be offended.

In other words: when Muslim's reacted the way they did, they only proved that they're a irrational group opposed to Western values per se.

Freedom of speech, anti-cencorship = good
Right to be offended denied = bad and no possibility of peaceful discourse.

This isn't as clear cut as it could be, but there're lots and lots of literatures about the Rushdie Affair and I haven't seen the theory of above very often. Five pages should come easy and could be supported by your own unique arguments.

Other than that, there's a controversy in the UK right now, involving a celebrity Big Brother and racial discrimination of a Bollywood actress in the house by the other players. It's very current and could provide lots of contemporary examples of media botching it up in their terminology. *g*

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I'll think on this a bit, but at the moment I can't remember anyone tackling this specific subject. I do believe there's something to be said for the theory. People tend to write what they know; if they're WASP's, their characters will tend to be white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, simply because that's what their subconscious is familiar with.

I'm ready for a fight if someone accuses me of being predjudice in any way, but most of my main characters are white males, even in Buffy fanfiction!

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Exactly. As much as I prefer a hugely diverse cast, I can't really fault anyone for writing what they know and are comfortable with, especially with original fic and characters.

The thing is, when you have even a non-discriminatory TV series like Buffy where all of the show-runners are middle-class white people? You end up with mostly white primary characters... and all the tertiary characters are cast colorblind. Serious points for intent, but this puts characters of color as either victims or minor villains, which are almost by definition subordinate roles.

It's barely noticeable, but if you look too closely you see a rather unfortunate message that I don't think anybody intended. I try not to look too closely. And like I said, serious points for good intentions.

the road to hell ...

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

You might get some use out of my story "Robin Lays an Egg":
http://ozma914.livejournal.com/tag/robin+lays+an+egg
in your research. It might be a varient of what you're talking about, in that I wrote an entire story from the viewpoint of a black man (I'm white) but, as in the show, there's absolutely no reference to his race.

Maybe the creators were patting themselves on the back at the time for creating a colorblind character, but I suspect the only reason he's black at all is because of the requirements of the plot: It had already been established that his mother was a black slayer. I try to be true to the characters when I write fanfiction, but in this case I had little to be true to: Robin was rather bland and two dimensional in the series, I felt. Now I'm wondering if my attempt to expand on his personality did any good at all.

[lyr]

I've been meaning (since October, I'm sad to say) to make a post that addresses the way this worked in the Jossverses and the Stargates, actually.

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Cool. I'm really glad that I'm not the only one who's noticed the phenomenon.

[zellieh]

[here via friendsfriends]

I'm not sure I understand your argument, but it sounds a lot like the arguments I've heard here in the UK against 'political correctness' (where people try to avoid discrimination by being 'politically correct', and end up being just as discriminatory, but in an accidental, very intellectual way.)

Personally, I've never agreed with that argument for the simple reason that if you don't even try to avoid discrimination, then nothing will ever change. Better to try and get it a bit wrong sometimes than never to try at all.

But - if you want to write your paper on this subject, you might try looking at the BBC's 'Dr Who', and especially its spin-off, 'Torchwood' - they're both run & sometimes written by Mr Davis, who is gay, and now Torchwood has ended up with every character in the show as canonically bisexual. (On-screen same-sex kisses for every single character. Also, several same-sex sex scenes.)

You might try fanthropology for studies of fandom, and maybe deadbrowalking for stuff about people of colour in the media.

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

It's not so much an argument, as it is an observation (or if you prefer, an argument for the existence of the phenomenon rather than towards any action). What I'm saying is that major production companies/publishers are/have introducing minority characters, but the financial risk of staring up a whole new series is great enough that they instead add the character to a pre-existing title - often in subordinate roles, just because that's the space available for a new addition. Not a big deal, but it happens often enough to create a rather disturbing message if you look too closely.

Better to try and get it a bit wrong sometimes than never to try at all.
I agree with you. That's actually why I'm writing this, because I so often see discussions of discrimination in the media conducted in terms of blame and conspiracy - no points given for good intentions or even acknowledgment thereof.

I do watch Doctor Who when it airs here in the U.S. (on SciFi channel), although I missed the latter half of Nine's run and the accompanying exploits of Captain Jack. I've heard a lot of good things about Torchwood, as well, and I look forward to seeing it. From the sounds of it, it's one of the few action shows that's getting it right. Whatever "right" means.

Thank you very much for the comment and the links! I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you.

[katarik.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer: I admit to not having read the books where Stephanie appeared as Robin (I was quite fond of her Spoiler days, though), so I could be missing something, but this my take on the situation. (And keep in mind she lasted more than twice as long as Jason.)

Actually, I don't think she did. In terms of living as a character, definitely, since Steph appeared for the first time in 1992 and died in December of 2004. As *Robin*, she lasted less than three months for disobeying a direct order (and also saving Batman's life, which same act had Tim congratulated) before being fired in ROBIN 128. The Girl Wonder appeared in BATGIRL 53, DETECTIVE COMICS 796, TEEN TITANS 13, ROBIN 126-128.

Willingham has stated that he knew Stephanie was going to die, and that he put her in the Robin suit in order to give her a better ending.

The problem, of course, is that we have precedent for what happens when a Robin dies; Batman mourns and builds a Case to commemorate his fallen soldier. That hasn't happened with Stephanie. DC has yet to give a reason.

The person you want to talk to, if you can, is definitely Mary Borsellino. If you can't get in contact with her, since she's been pretty busy lately, try another of the girl-wonder team.

[katarik.livejournal.com]

Bah. Perhaps it shows that I just woke up.

She lasted less than three months in comics time. I think it was exactly seventy-five days.

As *Robin*, she lasted less than three months before being fired for disobeying a direct order (and also saving Batman's life, which same act had Tim congratulated) in ROBIN 128.

Now that sentence makes sense.

[(Anonymous)]

Some background:

She didn't die as Robin, a not-insignificant point.

She had a history of disobeying orders - not a comment on her "uppity-ness" or not, merely stating a fact. (much as robin in the 50s and 60s served as a foil to be rescued for his mistakes)

She wasn't the first female Robin - Carrie Kelley from Dark Knight Returns (1986) was.

I think that writing an essay on the current state of minority/female characters could be very interesting, but I wouldn't want to ignore how far things have come nor how much further they have to go. Characters and books like the current Manhunter, the Batgirl series that ended last year, the growth of Stargirl (nee Star) in Star and S.T.R.I.P.E., JSA and JSoA, and Peter David's books from the late 1990s til now (Young Justice, Supergirl, Fallen Angel) all are conspicuous steps in the right direction.

[katarik.livejournal.com]

Technically, neither did Jason Todd. He'd been fired by the time he went to Ethiopia.

Yes, she did. So did Jason. Tim's first act helping Batman in action went against a direct order from Batman; at the end of that issue, Tim was praised for his initiative.

Steph was the first *canonical* female Robin. DKR/DKSA are considered Elseworlds, AFAIK.

*nods* It is important to remember strides that have been made, but the Batgirl you mention? Turned evil in a completely OOC manner. Turned *stupidly* evil, at that.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, with regards to DKR/DKSA - they are considered "possible future" as supposed to Elseworlds. The lack of an Elseworlds branding and comments from DC staff state that Frank Miller's work is "semi-canonical."

The point of whether or not she's canon is trivial to the discussion though as it is a discussion on the portrayal of female characters in serial fiction/comic books spinning off from Stephanie Brown as Spoiler and Robin (at least that's how it reads to me based on the plea).

A good source of information on the creation of Carrie Kelly is Frank Miller's foreword in the most recent paperback reprinting of Dark Knight Returns, where he explains the reasoning behind her addition to the mythos and those responsible for her creation and character as seen in the graphic novel.

[ravenwings-7.livejournal.com]

Now, see? This is what I get for listening to highly offended people. *g* They completely glossed over the fact she was canonically praised for the same action that got her fired.

I was counting total character time, not just Robin time. I felt it was a better counter to accusations that Steph was merely cannon fodder. (Oy.) That, and some of my favorite characters have changed names somewhere along the line, so... (I mean, if Dick had gotten killed right after becoming Nightwing, would you say that he was only around a couple months or that he had been around for decades?) I did check her Wikipedia entry (because I am only a partial idiot), but I hadn't realized how little time she spent in the suit. Given that, I'm not surprised that her death was planned, and I think time as the Girl Wonder sounds like a damn fine last hurrah.

The problem, of course, is that we have precedent for what happens when a Robin dies; Batman mourns and builds a Case to commemorate his fallen soldier. That hasn't happened with Stephanie.
This is a legitimate complaint. Seriously, I get it. But I think it's in character for Bruce. I mean, dude. Jason was his son. Admittedly, a very recently adopted teenager, but still. It's debatable whether that shrine is to a fallen soldier or to a lost child. I'm on the "child" side.

Which doesn't mean that the underlying sexist message doesn't exist. Much the contrary. She's still given less respect than the boys. The thing is, I think that was opposite to the writers' intent. I think they tried for a girl-power moment by placing her in a traditionally male role, and then proceeded to write the arc just like they would for any other Robin. But it wasn't just any other Robin that the world saw. It was the Girl Wonder, and she wasn't as "good" as the Boy Wonders. And thus good intentions lead to a rather toasty place.

That was very rambly and incoherent of me. Sorry? :)

[(Anonymous)]

nope, that made a lot of sense.

you could make this a very focused, well-researched essay just by focusing on women in the bat-verse, who collectively have had both triumphs and failures. also, something random that i found useful when i was writing my college essays on comics: i couldn't reasonably expect the professor to read the entire source material, so i would summarize events in an endnote and sometimes include photocopies of key pages, of which i would do a more in-depth analysis of the art as well as the story.

good luck!

[wolf-vegas.livejournal.com]

In that respect, perhaps it's also important to look at Supergirl in light of the DC Nation (http://dccomics.com/news/?cat=5877) letter (a quick glance at When Fangirls Attack (http://womenincomics.blogspot.com) will help here) by Eddie Berganza. This is a blatant example of the phenomenon you describe - a mass media entertainment/serial fiction publisher who tries to alleviate their errors that alienate them from women readers (among others) on the grounds of sexist material. The ill-fated attempt to reach out to the fans by saying "we're fixing things" appears to have made the errors more telling.

I think in many ways, Stephanie's fate is a product of her time as much as of her gender. Carrie Kelly is treated with respect, remains a rounded heroine and despite disobeying a direct order from Batman which results in saving his life, he does not fire her as he originally threatened. Like Stephanie, she is not his adopted child (at least not at the time, she has drug abusing negligent parents though...).

Frank Miller's tale has a couple of contrasts with today. Frank's colorist Lynn Varley was credited by Miller in 1996 as being a co-creator of Carrie and was attributed as being the most important person in forming her personality and dialog.

1986, when compared to today was an interesting time. It appears that then, Dick Giordano and Bob Rozakis (EiC and Editor for The Dark Knight Returns) - partially because of their editing ability and partially because political correctness was less important - put out a book with a female Robin who was treated with equal respect and written (IMHO) correctly. A far cry from Dan Didio and Eddie Berganza if you believe what you hear (which personally I do.)

Hope this helps your paper,
Regards.
Dr. Wolf S. Vegas Esq., Editor of (http://community.livejournal.com/c_c_chronicle/profile)c_c_chronicle (http://community.livejournal.com/c_c_chronicle/), Candidate for Internet Sheriff.