Feminism "joke" on Big Love...

[bliss_eternal]

How many feminists does it take to change a light bulb?


None, it's not the light bulb that needs changing. :eyes: :puke:

Told by the character that could probably be helped the most if she were a feminist.

[ThomCat]

1. I rarely ever watch tv, but...

I can't say I'd be surprised about a commment like this on a show about bigamy.

I imagine that it's possible to have a bigamist society that respects women and feminism but I think it's a very remote possibility.

[ismnotwasm]

2. After watching about

Warren Jeffs--the puke.
http://www.nndb.com/people/950/000055785/

So called "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Later Day Saints, I no longer find "big love" in the least amusing. I didn't like the show concept in the first place, but only watched once. The show may be better than I think it is--I'm a poor judge of media.

I'm sure most polygamists aren't pedophillic insane control freaks.(I think) But I don't know any either.

[bliss_eternal]

4. It is icky...

I was disturbed by the news reports I saw on this. I completely understand your sentiments about this. :hi:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

8. It bugs me that HBO is doing it

HBO produces trendy shows that are considered the height of coolness and sophistication, deservedly so to a certain extent. They are well scripted and the acting is superb. However, it kinda disturbs me how this network has contributed to the normalization and even glamorization of things that had previously, and rightly IMHO, had negative connotations. They've done it with stripping, prostitution, Mafia and prison violence, etc. And now, polygamy is getting the pop-culture gloss.

I mean gosh, it's Bill Paxton! And the wives are beautiful and intelligent. He can afford to maintain them in affluent comfort. Sure, there's a little dramatic strife and all but it's no worse than your typical monogamous marriage, right? Plus, he's a sight better than his wretched megalomaniacal dad, who marries underage girls. I've never watched the show but that's what I've gathered so far about the plot from reviews. Yep, polygamy, or to be more precise, polygyny, isn't THAT disagreeable at all. I predict women all over the country, but particularly in educated and progressive enclaves, are going to be expected to be tolerant about yet another bullshit, degrading, demeaning, and de-humanizing sexist institution. One that deems women to be worth, literally, less than men. One that declares men to be singular and indispensible, and women, interchangeble and discardable.

Nice. Thanks, HBO. :grr:

[bliss_eternal]

3. Yikes--

I just visited a site that another DU'er spoke of in a thread about this show. It's a web-site for former mormons. I found this article regarding mormon women and prozac enlightening and disturbing.

http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon197.htm

Women are NOT high in the food chain, so to speak to this lifestyle (obviously), nor are people of color. It's a long read, I kind of scanned through it--as much of it made me rather nauseous.

[ismnotwasm]

5. Ho boy

Very sad,intense stuff. I try to keep an open mind about religions, because I'm agnostic, and it's easy for me to slip into that snotty/superior attitude that I dislike in anybody, but especially myself. But I do have a very hard time with religious beliefs like these. I can not and should not, condone them.
Still it's kind of coincidental, I was just visiting this site
http://got.net/~elained/patriarchy.html
It briefly traces the roots of patriarchy to religion.(It's a cached site) It's an interesting site. Religion is certainly a powerful force but economics, and social status and power mongers also contributed to how churches--along with the status of women in them- developed. It's ever expedient to have the baby makers and house(hearth)keepers in control, and "in their place"

[bliss_eternal]

6. Isn't it interesting...?

...especially when you factor in the reality that the pagan religion is based in worship of women, women's strength, women as deities. Yet, christianity does all it can to paint pagan spirituality and religion as evil, devil worship, etc.

How interesting, relgion with women in positions of power=evil.

Religion with men in power=all that is right with the world. :eyes:

[mrreowwr_kittty]

7. Yep. nt

[Kerrytravelers]

9. I always took the show as a poke at those religious fundy fruitcakes.

It doesn't completely demonize them, but it also shows how hypocritical they are. Their personal relationship choices are "for God," but still against the law. They have to hide their love. Yet, they have no compassion for homosexual couples who want their love recognized legally by the state. They want their personal lives private, yet don't believe others have that right. The Tina Majorino character says "even thought we're a red state, we're still progressive." Therein lies the joke. Some of the wives of the Bruce Dern's character were watching condi rice on tv and called her "uppity." A bit racist.

But perhaps I have totally been viewing this show wrong. That is only how I have interpreted it.

On a another note, my God, does this show move slowly. They have dragged out story lines for way too many episodes to even be remotely interesting any longer. I am totally bored by the Roman/Bill storyline. Yawn. Move it along already.

[bliss_eternal]

10. This is how I see it, too Kerry...

I saw the moments in the episodes you mentioned, and I had a similar impression of them.

For the fundie set, uppity seems to speak of any woman that would dare cut off her hair, or declare their independence from men in any way. They also referred to Lois as uppity (and a few other things that slip my mind at the moment). She spoke of this in a touching moment when she is taking a bubble bath, talking with her granddaughter, Sara (Bill's daughter with Barb). She speaks about cutting off her hair and how she felt when the other sister women denounced her for doing so. I found that so interesting and such a honest portrayal of the fundie mindset.

Through a link to exmormon.org I found really interesting information speaking to a woman's place in this religion's lifestyle. It also spoke of how it views those with darker skin, and how it can be a double blow to be a woman of color and a member of their world. :scared: In some regards, yes it is racist. In other ways, it is so obvious to me that these people are so apart from the rest of the world and society that they haven't got a clue that people of color aren't any different than they are.