Liberal critique of Firefly

[Warren]

Gasp! Confederates! Smugglers!

http://www.hoverbike.blogspot.com/2005/08/politics-of-space.html

[TarpleyG]

In the revisionist worldview, the US Civil War wasnt about slavery- it was about autonomy and freedom

Guess I am a revisionist--whatever the hell that is.

The characters, while intriguing on some levels, are textbook stereotypes. You have the exotic whore-with-the-heart-of-gold, the brazen, masculinized black woman whos white husband loves her big butt, the precocious nerdy virgin, the frat boy, the desexualized older black man, the intellectual wimp and the crazy, asexual girl. Presiding over them is the ultimate alpha male, a straight-talking silent type who is driven to honorable criminality by the oppressive federal government. He hates their rules. He just wants to be left alone. Leave him alone. Youll take his spaceship out of his cold, dead hands.

Must be me but I don't see " textbook stereotypes" in this series at all.  In fact, I see just the opposite.  Guess I don't watch enough Star Trek, Stargate, Star 'whatever' to get it.  This idjit probably sits at home on Friday night playing with himself watching the SciFi channel.  He even has a hyphenated last name to go along with his persona.

I need to go wash the ick off me now...

Greg

[Justin]

Nah. Why go to the effort when they've already done a far better job than any of us could do?

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

"Watching firefly made me miss Star Trek all the more. It depressed me how much better as narrative and entertainment firefly is than the latest Star Trek offerings. In Star Trek, we are treated to a vision of a positive future, one in which politics focuses on an expansive defense of peace and justice, rather than individual glorification. I have nothing against gritty distopias like firefly, but its sad that the heroes it offers are all but dressed in the Confederate Flag."


Pretty much sums up his position for me, when taken into the remaining context of his site.  Too much indoctrination, it seems.  He's not using that brain for anything. Might as well go ahead and donate those organs now and save the wait later.

Regards,
Rabbit.

[Antibubba]

some people can't handle the notion that, whatever era it is, some people will always refuse to put their destinies in the hands of others.

[Perd Hapley]

The concept is a group of Confederate holdouts after the Civil War.  In a way it's the anti-Star Trek, like a group of violently independent right-wingers who can't stand the liberal Federation of Planets

Is there anything about the Alliance that a modern-day Western liberal would see as "liberal" in a positive way; i.e. social justice, economic equality, environmentalism?  If the Alliance are clearly bad guys, doesn't it put one in a bad position to side with them, and condemn the show's protaganists (sp?).  

I haven't seen this Firefly show, or the movie (no tengo un televisor).  Sounds good.

[Perd Hapley]

Again, I've never seen the show or movie, but I have to comment.  Is the war in the firefly backstory actually a civil war?  Sounds to me like a war between independent, soveriegn nation-states, rather than the context of the American civil war.  In any case, the HoverBike blogger seems to think that just because a war is a civil war, it must have been fought over slavery.  Beyond that, haven't the causes of the Civil War been debated since 1861, by right, left and otherwise?

[Warren]

Just the basic stuff.

The Core worlds wanted to control the Rim worlds.

I don't know if the Rim worlds were already part of the Core's empire or not.

Anyway, the Rim world's army (Browncoats) lost.

[atek3]

The author is a radical socialist, I talked about it here

atek3

[CatsDieNow]

Kaylee's a virgin?  This guy obviously missed the "Out of Gas" episode, which in my opinion was the best one.

And Daraka's a girl name...  

[JAlexander]

And Daraka's a girl name...  

Be careful, he might threaten to show you his man-parts.

James

[TarpleyG]

Kaylee's a virgin?

She sure is hot in a geeky sort of way...then again, all the women on the show are hot...

Greg

[CatsDieNow]

Be careful, he might threaten to show you his man-parts.

I'm not worried - it's an empty threat.

[Strings]

I've noticed that a LOT of Star Trek fans are far-left liberal. Which, I suppose, makes sense: I've never seen any other group of people so far out of touch with reality as the Trekkies...

 As for the stereotypes: yeah, they ARE there. So what, though? Isn't almost any fictional character a stereotype of some sort? And they all seem to have their little quirks thta make them unique...

[cordex]

I think it is funny that a Trekkie would complain about cliche characters ...

And shouldn't he hate Star Trek because of the rabid xenophobic bent of much of the plot?  You know ... a benevolant Federation bearing the White Man's Burden as it tries to deal with the lowly and warlike outside races incapable of working with others rationally.   Has anyone bothered to analyze the racial roots of the various alien races?

Or can he just enjoy it because it's a bloody TV show and not a direct commentary on slavery?

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Maybe the favorite Star Trek is Voyager which is all touchy-feely and PC, with that Capt. Janeway and all.


Regards,
Rabbit.

[Antibubba]

She sure is hot in a geeky sort of way

That, and that some of us can't help being attracted to women who are even crazier than we are. :/

[Justin]

Be careful, he might threaten to show you his man-parts.

I'm trying to think of a way for you to be more crude, but it's just not coming.

/Simon

Maybe the favorite  Star Trek is Voyager which is all touchy-feely and PC, with that Capt. Janeway and all.

I'll take any of the female characters over Captain Hepburn any day of the week.

[Strings]

Gee Blackburn, tell us how you REALLY feel!

 I remember seeing one of the female leads from Babylon 5 at Gen Con one year. Now THAT was an attractive woman!

[Perd Hapley]

Being no longer a Firefly virgin, I re-read the article.  The author understands Firefly as well as he understands the Right Wing.  Which is to say, "not so much."

[Manedwolf]

Star Trek in its later incarnations is horrifying, homogenized socialism. I can't fathom how anyone would want to live in that world...or how anyone would have any incentive to innovate, create, or even work hard.

I always suggest that Star Trek fans read Stanislaw Lem's Return from the Stars, which to me is an accurate depiction of what would happen with a utopian society like that. Everyone's needs are provided for, money is gone, so humanity is reduced to tepid blandness forevermore. With the demise of pain came the demise of passion as well.

I love Firefly's world. That's a world I'd want to live in.

[Erinyes]

Hey now.  I personally enjoy Star Trek quite a bit.  Admittedly, my favorite is the Original Series, followed by DS9 (which showed the Federation to not be quite the utopia everyone pretended.)

[LadySmith]

After reading the critique I find it hard to believe the author watched the same show that I did.
I also enjoyed Star Trek, but left off at DS9.

[Perd Hapley]

After reading the critique I find it hard to believe the author watched the same show that I did.

Me too.  It must hurt to be that stupid. 

[MechAg94]

I am sort of a Star Trek fan, but I agree that shows like Next Generation were full of socialistic arrogance.  The first series wasn't always so bad.  I really liked the Enterprise series and have been watching the reruns on SciFi Channel.