Rant Away - Can We Consume Problematic Media?

“I have a confession to make”. I started out that way before telling

my friends I’ve been putting Bhad Bhabie’s album on repeat. They

gasp in shock, shame, disappointment, or some combination of

the three. “She’s so problematic, how could you listen to her music!”

One of them yelled, still yet to reconcile with the news. 

​

For the rest of the night, “can we consume problematic media''

was the conversation. I think it’s the question that most pop culture

consumers with any ounce of self-respect and awareness ask

themselves. With the Internet’s unrestrained openness, there have

been more discourses on the representations, whether mis- or the

lack thereof, of historically marginalized identities. As someone

who strives to be unproblematic, I tread (and dread) the line when

it comes to consuming problematic media. I’m a feminist, but I

divulge in soccer culture where misogyny runs rampant. I fight for

racial justice in my personal and professional life, but I belt out

after Bhad Bhabie’s Gucci Flip Flop knowing she appropriates Black culture. I’m an immigrant, but I tolerate Jane the Virgin and its offensive mockery of non-American characters. We ourselves are complex people and sometimes our interests come into conflict with our complex self. 

 

The topic of whether we can consume problematic media came up again when my friend introduced me to Neon Genesis Evangelion, an anime classic, a must-watch, a rite-of-passage for anime fans. Not being a frequent consumer of the genre, I am immediately off-put by all the problematic portrayals in Neon Genesis Evangelion: the ultra sexualization of women, the bothersome distortion of bodies, the intrusive pedophilia, the coded colorism, etc. “How can you watch this?!” I mumbled in pain in the middle of the first episode. “It’s the cornerstone of anime. It gets better in the second half, trust me”, they responded in what seemed to be a poor excuse to me. (To be fair, I make the same defense for my personal favorites too.)

 

From the past two conversations, I turn to the Internet for answers to my dilemma: Can I consume problematic media!!! Everydayfeminism.com (don’t question me about their domain name, I found it on Google) suggests the following: 

• Think critically about the media you consume

• Don’t make excuse for it if someone points out that they are uncomfortable with its contents

• Be open and sympathetic to alternative interpretations

• Consider where to draw the line:

  • That might mean eliminating certain things in your life that can’t be redeemed if you can’t reconcile something with the amount of damage it inflicts. I can’t tell you where to draw the line, but I can tell you that a line needs to be drawn. Think about where the boundaries are, discuss them with people whose opinions you respect, and discuss them with the people who are impacted by where these lines might be.

• Keep demanding for better (content, representation, storyline, etc.)

 

If you are reading this looking for answers to your own queries, then I have bad news for you. I have no clue either. But hey, good news is at least we’re on the same boat. I figure, I should attempt to deal with it the way I do best: by talking it out. So, for my last Rant Away series, I would love it if you can join me on Friday (5/14), from 3-4pm, Zoom ID: 993 3883 7398 to have an open discussion. Unable to attend? Comment in this post with your thoughts to these guiding questions: 

• Can we separate the art from the artist (and vice versa)? Is enjoying one inevitably endorsing the other?

• Should we apply 21st century standards, privileged with hindsight and progress, to judge creators from past times? 

• Is the cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance of a piece enough to excuse its creators’ bigotry?

 

Let’s talk about it. Let’s rant away. 

 

Vanessa, Director of External Affairs Cycle 12