Discussion History Main / StuffedIntoTheFridge

I want to put the video game Injustice here, but I\\\'m not entirely certain whether it belongs in the Video Game or the Comic Book subsections. The opening plot from the video game - before the player ever has any control - is the Joker tricking Superman into detonating a nuclear bomb, which devastates Metropolis and kills millions - including Superman\\\'s wife, Lois Lane, and their unborn baby. That sends Superman into a face/heel turn rage, where he zooms to where Batman is interrogating Joker, kills Joker, and blames Batman for NOT having killed Joker in the many umpteen times Joker had killed large numbers of people.

I want to put the video game Injustice here, but I\\\'m not entirely certain whether it belongs in the Video Game or the Comic Book subsections. The opening plot from the video game - before the player ever has any control - is the Joker tricking Superman into detonating a nuclear bomb, which devastates Metropolis and kills millions - including Superman\\\'s wife, Lois Lane, and their unborn baby. That sends Superman into a rage, where he zooms to where Batman is interrogating Joker, kills Joker, and blames Batman for NOT having killed Joker in the many umpteen times Joker had killed large numbers of people.

I disagree wholeheartedly. Saying that Sozin is a even a \"character\" that has been \"shown\" is, in my view, an exaggeration. He was discussed in a few lines of dialogue. No other homophobic characters have appeared. Thus, discussing this as a \"conflict\", much less one of the story\'s central ones, is blowing a relatively minor element way out of proportion.

Also, just to address the point made in the last edit before this thread began, which positioned the criminalization of homosexuality as an extreme step. I live in a state in which homosexuality was not decriminalized until 1998 (and then only when the federal government forced us to), and many countries around the world (not just \"backwards\" ones but several of the U.S.\'s partners in the hallowed liberal project) still criminalize and actively persecute homosexuals.

And now, a personal note. This might get me dismissed as a PC whiner, so remember that even if you disagree with this part the rest of my arguments still stand. I\'m also not casting aspersions on the original editor, I make no claims to knowing what they believe in their heart. That said, the critical tone of this entry concerns me. I very clearly implies that the way that the comic handles homophobia is \"wrong\" and that the implicit \"right\" way to handle it would be to represent homophobes who have reasonable reasons for believing what they do. I disagree. I\'m suspicious that any piece of media, especially one aimed at least partially at children, should deliver the message that \"bigots can be good people and have good reasons for believing as they do\". I don\'t think this comparable to Hiroshi and benders because 1.) benders were the ones with greater social power, and it is easier to make a member of an oppressed class who hates his oppressors sympathetic than the other way around and 2.) that was, as mentioned, FantasticRacism, and applying the same style of characterization to an actual widespread real world prejudice probably isn\'t the best idea. We would probably side-eye a work with a white character who is uncomfortable around black people, but has sympathetic reasons for it, and is presented sympathetically by the narrative. Depiction someone who is bigoted without giving them a clear reason for isn\'t necessarily lazy or bad writing. It\'s accurate to a lot of people in real life.