A Message to Fun-Sucking "Fanboys" and "Fangirls"
Did you know that there's a new "Wonder Woman" movie out now? If you haven't, you're probably living under a rock, or have just crawled out of the bunker that you built in 1999 to prepare for the Y2K disaster that never actually happened.
"Wonder Woman" is on track to become one of the most successful films of the year. It's still got some catching up to do when it comes to past blockbusters such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", but if the film's opening weekend is any indication, I think it could be breaking some box office records yet.
Now, when it comes to superhero movies, traditionally I don't really rush out to go see them. It's a genre of movie that I never really got into even though I have seen almost every Batman movie ever made. Though hearing all of the great things about "Wonder Woman", it's one film I'd consider watching.
In fact, there are some theatres that are hosting special Wonder Woman themed screenings of the film. One such screening was in Austin, Texas. Now, I don't know whether it has already happened yet or not (my assumption is that it has), but this movie theatre did something rather unique in celebration of the film.
They had a "women only" screening. This not only meant that all of the film patrons were female, but the people who worked as ushers, the concession clerks, the ticket sellers, and even the film projector operators were female.
Now, as far as my thoughts go - it's a great idea. It can serve as a real bonding experience for women to enjoy a movie starring a female protagonist. It's a great learning experience for mothers to teach their daughters that they can be strong and powerful. It's a way for women to be able to enjoy a film without getting hit on, cat called, or groped by some men who can't sit through a film without being a jerk. Who would complain about something like that?
Well, apparently a lot of people are.
When word got out about the all-women screening of "Wonder Woman", some people (mostly men) crawled out of the woodwork to voice how 'unfair' and 'sexist' it was to block men from seeing the movie. They also called for the theatre to host all men screenings of the same film, and some are even boycotting the film as a result of it.
(Granted, some are also boycotting the film for other reasons involving the film's star and her stance on the country of Israel, but I won't be touching upon that subject except for the fact that I do not believe in boycotts at all - especially not for that reason.)
I just find it funny that people are complaining about this in the first place. Especially in the wake of everything that has happened in the last month or so.
Just think about it. In a world where concert goers are targeted by terrorists, and where people are slaughtered just because they want to have a good time, THIS is your main concern? You're upset because you're barred from a female only screening of the "Wonder Woman" film?
I mean, it's just for one screening. It's not as if the theatre can outright ban all men from seeing the movie for the rest of the film's screening, and bar men from buying the movie on Blu-Ray or stop them from accessing the film on Netflix. Seriously, think about it before you spout your words of nonsense and sexism.
But I suppose it is part and parcel of being considered a fanboy (or fangirl) troll. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones who claim to be the biggest fan of a particular piece of pop culture be it Wonder Woman, or James Bond, or Doctor Who, or My Little Pony. But instead of talking about how much they love a film, they do everything they can to not only spread how much they hate it, but also attack those who like it.
I mean, yes, every film, television show, and album should be exposed to both positive feedback and constructive criticism. Artists love to hear kudos and compliments about something they have released. And I'm sure that if a complaint is worded in a way that it appears to be constructive, most would be receptive of that as well. After all, you can't improve on anything unless you know what is working and what isn't.
But launching these whinefests about how men aren't allowed to see ONE Wonder Woman screening is just ridiculous. It's a movie that has a great cast, a great plot from what I understand, and the special effects are brilliant just based on what I've seen in trailers. To boycott a film because of one event is silliness.
And to attack other people who love the film and support the idea of an all-female showing of the film - that just serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever other than to make those people making the rude comments look even more foolish than they already are.
It's just like when the new Ghostbusters remake was released last year, and you had self professed fans of the series bashing the film at every opportunity. Yes, the original film was better, but after watching the remake, I absolutely loved the end result. And I guarantee you that most of the people who were making the loudest complaints were self confessed "fanboys" who had a huge issue with making all of the Ghostbusters female.
And just like "Wonder Woman", where actress Gal Gadot is getting attacked for her stance on being pro-Israeli (a stance which essentially has nothing to do with the movie), Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones was attacked with so much vitriol that she felt she had to shut down her Twitter account. Imagine being barraged with racist and sexist tweets sent out by self-proclaimed "fanboys" because they don't like the idea of a female Ghostbuster. It just goes to show how sometimes "fans" can be so misguided and so obnoxious that they tend to be seen as fun killers.
I'm just going to point out the obvious. If you aren't a fan of a movie, don't go and see it. If you don't like a television show, don't watch it. If you don't like a musical artist, don't download their song from iTunes. But don't attack others because they disagree with you. Don't cry out accusations of sexism when thou dost be sexist yourself.
And stop trying to suck the fun out of life. Just because you might feel the need to play the role of the "grouchy neighbour" in every aspect of your life doesn't mean that us moviegoers have to put up with it or listen to it. And perhaps maybe if you "fanboys" stopped getting offended by everything, maybe you might learn how to enjoy life and have fun again.
Posted by Matthew W. Turcotte at 15:22
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