Morons of the Internet: Viral Women (11/07/15)

This is the segment where I scour my favorite forums around the internet and find some particularly interesting articles about current affairs told in the words from some of my favorite human beings.

In this edition we have a feminist reading of Pixar films. I've always thought society has needed to analyse the underlying messages in films aimed at children, and since children themselves are too fucking lazy to do it themselves, I'm thrilled that some idiot has finally decided that this is a pressing issue. And where do we begin; with body positivity of course. Fucking brilliant.
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http://viralwomen.com/post/inside_out_how_pixar_fails_at_body_positivity_and_well_everything?fb_action_ids=10153462117634283&fb_action_types=og.comments
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I don't think we really begin with a clear definition of what a 'good' feminist is. You see I often thought that being a good feminist was to see the issues of women on a global scale, which as far as I'm concerned doesn't involve being a Nazi and hating films for reasons that are simply illogical. Surely you must be aware that films are a subjective art form, and therefore I wasn't aware there was some sort of feminist agenda to whether you're allowed to enjoy them, as different people have different interpretations of the same film. What the hell this has to do with why Pixar is failing as a company is my question, as surely they're just doing their job by creating films for a younger audience. Just because you don't like a single element to the film doesn't mean you should diminish its status as a perfectly valid art form. I didn't particularly enjoy the excessive murdering in 'The Godfather', but that doesn't mean I now can't respect it as one of the best films I've ever seen. I'm not saying that you should show your kids that, as it does carry an adult rating for a reason, but your point stands for a recent kids film and so I don't understand why you would purposely prevent them from watching it. For all you know this film could open up the minds of your children as they may have a different interpretation of what the film is trying to portray. It's this ignorant view throughout the article that just pisses me off, as your claim that Pixar is infecting the minds of children through your own personal views is simply misguided, and certainly not worth sacrificing the liberties of your children for. I have to ask myself whether it's really Pixar that's impairing your children's view of the world, and not just a narrow minded parent who dictates the lives of her children through no evidence apart from her own subjective views.

But then what would I expect from a so called 'body positivity activist', which as far as I can tell is the view that people shouldn't hate your body size, and if they still do then society needs to be changed because I want everything to be the way I want it to be. This view of the world is not only creating the very problems you're trying to eradicate, but also completely ignores the reasons as to why society frowns on people with larger builds. Maybe I might be somewhat sympathetic if you could make at least one intelligent point, but it seems you can't even do that. You as a person dictate the very lives of your own children despite the fact that this disgusting film is one that you've never even fucking watched. Just unbelievable. How the fuck can you tell if the points you're making are completely out of context? You can't, and as a person who's actually bothered to watch a film that's not even two hours long I can inform you that you're a fucking idiot who's made their own children suffer for what is a misunderstanding borne from sheer ignorance. You even say it yourself: "We remember what we see." Yeah, too fucking right. So why the fuck haven't you seen the film? If you admit that visual memory is critical then how can you sit here trying to make a serious point when even by your own standards you sound like a clueless individual. Have I missed the satire of this article, or is this person actually trying to construct a serious argument? This is so badly put together that I'm starting to think it's one big joke.

Now let's have a look at that opening sentence. Surely you must be aware that not all eleven year old girls are going to be into One Direction and Barbie dolls. To think that way would surely be stereotyping. Please remember that, for in a few paragraphs time you're going to be complaining about Pixar stereotyping in their films, you fucking hypocrite. But apparently it's fine when you do it as you seem to be in some delusional world where stereotyping should only be acceptable if it has positive messages, which is naive considering that the character you're criticising Pixar for stereotyping is one of the protagonists. I'll say it again; films are a subjective art form and so different stereotypes are going to have different connotations to different people. Whether a stereotype is viewed as a positive or negative message is dependent on the viewer, and so for you to judge a film based on your own narrow minded principles is a really stupid thing to do. Hasn't it occurred to you that this character called 'Sad' might be portrayed that way for a reason that isn't to do with shaming body sizes? Hasn't it occurred to you that if Pixar changed their character to a brightly coloured 1970's disco dancer whilst still calling it 'Sad', the target audience aren't going to understand your little foray into the symbolism of body positivity, and that actually this character doesn't reflect their idea of sad at all.

You have to ask yourself whether children are actually analysing this film in the same way as you. I'm pretty sure all they're seeing is a light hearted film designed for their enjoyment, rather than a cynical film that aims to demonise certain sections of society. All Pixar wanted to do was create a fun range of characters based on emotions, and so of course that's going to involve stereotyping, which if you're a person who's not obsessed with their fucking image is going to be great fun to watch. Maybe your children would feel the same way, but as you've shielded them from the terrors that lie in this film aimed at them, they aren't even going to be given the opportunity. Maybe like rational children they will see a light hearted film that's drastically different from the visions you have of them shaming chubby emos. However it seems unlike your children, who have the ability to distinguish between works of fiction and reality, you don't. We're not going to be seeing kids caring about their weight, and so they're not going to become miserable and fat like that fictional character in the film they thought was a version of reality. Recognising if something is fictional is a skill you haven't yet learnt, and if you keep seeing things from your narrow minded world then it's only going to be your kids that suffer the consequences.

There's jumping to conclusions, and then there's this. What evidence do you have to suggest that Pixar thinks fat people are sad? You've just instantly assumed that everyone has the same mindset as yourself and so of course everyone is going to view this subjective film in the same way. I'm sure in your mind Pixar are famous for shaming fat people and so naturally they couldn't help but add some to their new film aimed at CHILDREN, but if this is the message you get out of a lighthearted film then I feel sorry for you as a parent. Broad generalisations can't help you prove a point that never existed in the first place, and all this time your children may also think that you're regime against Pixar is absolute bollocks, as all they want to do is watch an entertaining film without paranoid and retarded mothers dictating whether the message of a KIDS film is suitable. Surely your children should at least be allowed the opportunity to watch the film instead of you condemning it with some bullshit agenda based on ignorance alone. I'm starting to think this article should be titled 'How I fail as a parent, and well, constructing arguments'.

"Yeah Pixar. Despite the fact that I was stereotyping a few paragraphs ago, I'm now going to judge you based on my hypocritical agenda. I'm not even using English words now, yet I expect people to treat me as a serious author." To this writer it must seem strange how nobody else hasn't bought up these issues before, and even modern journalists fail to interpret children's films from an adult perspective, so why the fuck does it matter? To me this article also says something about society, and that's that as human beings we can prioritise issues and not frown at insignificant things such as the portrayal of a single character in a kids movie. However dictating the lives of children is a much bigger issue that unfortunately stems from an unfounded viewpoint that only you possess. But you don't stop at films either; you also dictate what commercials your children can watch. Oh no, somebody's using sex to sell a product. Well of course they fucking are, it's a commercial; it exists to get people to buy their products, not present moral issues. The worrying thing is that just because one advert uses a proven technique that you don't approve of, you instantly assume that all adverts are now evil. It seems this is your strategy for all forms of media, and so it astounds me that you can sit here telling me that Pixar are the evil ones here. You claim they fail at 'everything', yet they clearly don't as the film in question was a commercial success.

However the worst thing that I keep repeating is that you're not the one who's going to suffer for this. At worst you'll be missing out on a film not designed for your age range, but that cannot be said for your children, who thanks to your ignorance are prevented from broadening their perspective on the world around them. Why you blame Pixar for this when you know full well that they make films for children is just ludicrous, and if anything you should be giving them praise for creating a wide variety of characters that celebrates how dynamic human society is. It's a real shame that Pixar's depiction of animated characters doesn't conform to your biased agenda, but then I have to ask myself what Pixar could have done to satisfy your didactic needs. You put the company in a Catch-22 where if the character known as 'Sad' was a thin character you would complain that fat people aren't represented by the cast, yet when they do draw attention to people with larger builds you still complain as that's not the direction you would have taken. Well here's a reality check for you; you don't decide. Please enjoy the film for what it is rather than dictating what it should be. 

Are you now suggesting that children can't distinguish between right and wrong? I might have at least respected your point if you had bothered to back it up with any evidence. I find it hard to believe that a child's perception of what bad is will be ultimately determined by a single character in a single film, especially when you quite rightly explain that the change is rather subtle. Contrary to what you believe, children do have the ability to rationalise, hence why many of the films aimed at them have antagonists, and so in no way did Pixar 'literally' define sad to your child as a fat blue thing. The problems in this article stem from your personal feelings towards the film, which unfortunately has dictated your parental skills. You may be dissatisfied with Pixar's work, and that's fine, but being a narrow minded idiot really isn't. Because there is a single, minor theme you disapprove of doesn't mean you can start degrading this film's status as a perfectly valid art form, shielding it from your helpless and dependent children. Why the hell should Pixar conform to your flawed agenda when clearly it's only moronic arguments like this that try and ruin the fun for the majority?