Content with terrible themes is often defended as a ‘product of its time,’ but this argument holds no water with me.
No more ‘product of its time,’ please
Tag: representations
Do we really need to see graphic violence to ‘understand’?
Creators sometimes justify graphic, troubling scenes with the claim that we need to see to ‘understand.’ Well, do we?
In storytelling, context matters
Criticising representations and challenging embedded attitudes in text is common, but what happens with authorial context is introduced?
Diverse experiences are about more than hardship
With an increase in diverse fiction, can we finally get some representations that are about something other than hardship?
Even in pop culture, the oppressed can become the oppressor
It’s time to bust the myth that it’s impossible to depict a marginalised group poorly when you’re a member of that group or understand marginalisation from a different perspective.
‘Before’ shots aren’t an excuse for nondisabled actors
Disabled people are often told that cross-casting is necessary for disabled characters because people need to see them ‘before.’ Here’s why this argument doesn’t hold water.
Is streaming the best place for mentally ill characters?
Streaming media has some of the sharpest, most thoughtful, most realistic depictions of mental illness in pop culture. Is streaming the new hope for diversity in television?
If Jeffrey Tambor cares so much about trans talent, he’d give back that Emmy
Jeffrey Tambor just won his second Emmy for Leading Actor in a Transphobic Role, and he claims to care a ton about trans talent, but not enough to give up that golden statuette.
Why treat disability as a failure on television?
In medical dramas, disability is always represented as a failed outcome. What if we changed that framing?
Love in the time of pop culture
Pop culture is reframing our understanding of love, and not always in good ways.