Sooo, I was watching the Afterbuzz aftershow for S2E1 and one of the hosts felt that Felix's character was betrayed and made into a gay stereotype during that Spoiler club scene where he's high, wearing assless chaps, and getting ready for a fiveway . I joined the conversation with this: Great podcast, guys. So happy you're doing Orphan Black. Okay I'm with Matt on the Felix thing. This actually leads me into something I talked about in school, so fair warning, I'm gonna say a lot. I'm so glad Anna brought this up. Okay so, my stance: definitely not a betrayal to his character. In fact, I loved that scene because this was the first time we got to see (for longer than a few seconds) what Felix looks like in his own life, when he's not being a support beam for Sarah and the clones. He was totally in his element, natural and comfortable. I could tell that before Sarah arrived in the very first episode, Felix was clubbing, getting high, and having five ways, doing whatever he wanted. We just never saw it because the only time we saw Fe in action was when Sarah needed him for something. The show did give us little tidbits of what solo Felix is like throughout season one. Remember the episode when Felix infiltrated the Neolution club? Fe said so himself that clubs are his world, so I was not surprised or disappointed to see him in a club getting ready for a fun five way in assless chaps during his downtime. What else would a person like Fe (not a gay person, just a person) do for fun in that world? When I saw the assless chaps I thought "so Felix," because of when he was alone in his apartment painting stark naked. He's comfortable with nudity. When I saw that he was high I thought "so Felix" because of when he was in the bathroom with Alison during the potluck episode, she pulled out a pill bottle and he said "sharesies" and took some without even knowing what it was. When I saw he was getting ready for a fiveway I thought "so Felix" because every hook up he had in season one, from the brief thing we saw of it, he was very forward in his pursuits and natural acting when they were done like "this is what I do and it was great." Fe even made sexy face watching his sister aggressively hook up with Paul, is a fiveway in chaps really so surprising? He's very carefree with it comes to sex. He appears to have very little hangups. He just couldn't be completely fun-time Fe when we saw him because of all the crap that was happening at the time. A stereotype is something that exists for some, but is said/believed to be true for all people that share X thing in common with those some and then believed to be the only thing that defines X people. So assless chaps, drugs, and fiveways are a good time for some people in the queer community and outside of it. Those things still exist and happen, they're just not true for all people of X group and is not the only thing about Felix or others like him (gay or straight) who enjoy scenes like that. So Felix wasn't being a stereotype, he was being himself. Others' perceptions that what he was doing is exclusively and totally a "super gay" thing and not just something some people in general are into, is what turns Fe being himself into a stereotype, not the actual doing itself for someone like Fe whose personality fits that kind of scene and behavior. If some people only saw that Felix scene it might be their perception that he's being stereotypical or he's a one-dimensional gay dude, but upon getting to know him they would learn there's a person underneath those chaps and behind those glassy eyes. But they can't know that unless they decide to put that thought aside and see for themselves if there is more to him. Stereotypes are ruled and rooted by people who believe them, not by who they're created against, so it's up to people who might think Fe is being a stereotype to get to know him, not judge him on that one moment and not chop his reason for being into that up to his sexuality. It is not up to Felix to not do those things so no one thinks of him as a kind of stereotype because he can't control what others think. He can only live his life as eccentrically as he wants with a "fuck it" confident attitude as he obviously does. I copied all that because it made me remember one of the issues happening between LGBT people with that whole "flamboyant" vs. "masculine" acting guys/manly women vs. femme women debate that pops up every now and again. I realize that the best way I know how to respond to those weird borderline fucking stupid arguments is to acknowledge the fact that it's not a flamboyant gay dude's fault that someone decides to think all gay dudes are like him. It's not up to masculine gay women to not embrace their dude-likeness because some people are going to think that's what all lesbians are. And the same goes for Bs, Ts and all the damn letters in the acronym. So why are people within this merry band fighting each other over who acts "too gay" or isn't representing the community the "right way." Pride is a prime example. I don't get the anger towards Pride and the parade. Like if you want to dance down a street in assless chaps and high heels because you like chaps, heels and dancing, then dance away queen. The parade is a thing for people who are into parades. If you're not into them for whatever reasons, then don't fucking go. And if people outside of the community are going to grumble and shake their head s"ahg, what is this super gay gross shit?" then fucking let 'em grumble. Like they don't do the same shit come Patty's Day or whatever other fucking other holiday that allows heavy drinking and loud music in the streets. You don't see nobody else grumbling "ahg, what is this dumb Irish shit, that guy's not even Irish, this doesn't represent the Irish nation or whatever." All everyone can do is just be themselves and if someone wants to assume that's what everyone who shares one aspect in common with that person is like, then that's their prerogative, not the person who's just doing their thing, you know? People get so riled up over "representing the community, bleh, bleh." Why is that responsibility on each other's shoulders? Just, you know, represent yourself as a person, not the vague broad "everyone" of your sexuality, gender, race, religion, fandom, whatever. I dunno why I'm talking about this randomly. It just feels like lately everyone's been finding reasons to be angry with each other and I'm like "jeez, chill out, it's really not that deep." First Rupaul's all of a sudden transphobic and now a character on a show has been betrayed by one little thing. :rolle: People have been getting more and more extreme like by the month it feels. Do I need to hand out some volume? :lol: Just because someone's having a heart attack over spilled milk doesn't mean you have to turn into billy bandwagon and rage out on the milk like ":tantrum: what the fuck milk, don't you know this person doesn't like it when you spill!" Let's just let the person have a heart attack until they're ready to not have a heart attack anymore and not even give a damn if they ever do reach that point. I don't like how other people's perceptions of someone becomes the person's problem to solve. It's just not logical, yet it's something that causes so much upset between people everywhere over different stuff. It's exhausting on the interwebs, everyone's so mad, guys. What's happening? Who pissed in the soup? :lol: Anyway, I'm rambling. That just hit me and I needed to get out. Orphan Black was great if you haven't seen it yet. Great episode. Please discuss this to your hearts content. Just don't argue, argument is pointless. Present your thoughts without judgment of someone else's because that's what kicks shit off into stupid land, folks. I'm not trying to tell you how to think, only saying how I think based on my own observations and things. My thoughts can't be right or wrong, they're just my thoughts. Mmkay? Mmkay. :smilewave
I guess when it comes right down to it the LGBT community is very determined to seem "normal" and we spazz out when someone acts in a way that could be perceived as not normal.
I think there is a real attempt to seem normal--which I think is kind of a shame. I think as gay people we sort of have an opportunity that comes with being forced out of some of the regular societal routines to look back at them and say maybe that's not the way it should be and form our own ways of being. And, well, I like a good drag queen or go go boy on occasion. The place where this sort of thing really bothers me is when everyone complains that all the media representations aren't representative. It used to drive me nuts back in the day. I remember when Queer As Folk was on and everyone was all about how the gay community isn't all like that... blah, blah, blah. The show wasn't about "the gay community"--it was about five guys in Pittsburgh. And a work of fiction! People would actually say gay guys aren't really like that--and I was like I know these people, multiples of each, what the hell are you talking about? On the other hand, on a personal note, I do feel that sort of pull to "represent." And, to be honest, one of the many reasons I try to be a good person is because everyone knows I'm gay and some of them may think I'm the only gay person they know. On the other hand when those little stereotypical things comes up--I love musical theater, love to go dancing, used to keep body glitter in five shades--I don't hide it because I want people to know I'm like that and a good friend, conscientious employee and generally ethical kind of guy. I don't want anyone to have that out of--well, he's a good guy but that's because he's not like the rest of them. I am like them, and I'm awesome and you think I'm a great guy--and just let that play around in the back of your head the next time someone spouts off about the gays. Anyway just my two cents.
:eusa_clap Preach! Seriously this is awesome. Good for you. I did the same thing for a while too around when I first came out. I didn't want to do anything "too gay." I look back and go "man that was a waste of time." I've wanted to learn how to build stuff because I am genuinely interested in wood shoppy things and being handy, but never pursued it because I didn't want to come off "butchy." Now I'm so over all that. I can wear my hot topic skirt and play around with tools if I want and all it means about me is that I like hot topic skirts and playing around with tools. I remember all the QaF comments like that. Same thing happened with the L Word and pretty much any show or movie that has a gay characters. "He's not what gay men are like." No, he's what he's like and that's it. How can one guy or one set of guys be literal millions of people who all share one little thing in common? They can't. I agree with you guys, I think it comes from that fear of not being perceived as normal in any sense, but it's not anyone's responsibility to make sure no one thinks they're not normal because like I said before, no one has control over that but the person doing the thinking.
