There's not a lot I can add to make this statement more perfect than it already is. This is exactly my problem with the attitudes being shown in comic books.
SFF fandom exploded recently with the whole Jonathan Ross fiasco. One of the issues raised was that the community is currently struggling to shed the image of us all being a pack of mouth-breathing sleaze-balls who harass any woman that appears within a hundred yards. It's a serious problem, and it's our responsibility to show a different side to the community.
Just as it's the responsibility of those who create the things we enjoy to shed the impression that comics (or any form of entertainment associated with geek fandom) is a boys-only club, where female characters exist to be exploited and help us get our rocks off.
Weird, I thought comic readers were a bunch of nerds who would run a mile if a real woman came within fifty feet. I guess stereotypes don't have to be logical.
ReplyDeleteNope, not for a long time now. Harassment at conventions and the like is a huge problem.
DeleteEspecially when it comes to cosplayers. Emerald City Comic Con has been running 'Cosplay is not Consent' posters when it comes to some people being a bit too hands on.
DeleteI just don’t understand it. Where has decorum gone these days? Though I don’t condone it I can understand such behavior when women were first let into the clubhouse, but women have been coming up the ladder for years now and we should be able to conduct ourselves with some semblance of manners these days.
DeleteAll I can say is for us all to stand up and do something. I don’t know how my friends act when I’m not around but they know when I am I don’t look kindly on wolf whistling, cat calling, leering, or jeering at women. If you see a woman being harassed don’t ignore it, ask if she wants to join your group until the harasser leaves off and let her know that if she fells threatened she has a place to take shelter if she feels she needs it.