Help me, O Mighty LJ!
Jan. 28th, 2007 11:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ship_go_boomSo 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![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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!
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!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2007-01-30 03:15 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
on 2007-01-30 08:42 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
on 2007-01-30 11:20 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
on 2007-01-31 02:49 pm (UTC)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.