“People used to use SJW to describe rad fems / campus socialists / anarchists / and others of that ilk. Basically people who were aggressive about social justice. Perhaps some of those people seem annoying to some, perhaps not to others. Nowadays people just use SJW to describe anyone who is even slightly left of center, and isn’t opposed to multiculturalism or different representation in media. Calling someone a SJW because they thought The Last Jedi – the 8th in a series of kids movies – was good because it featured women a lot more predominantly completely misses the mark.”
The above quote is a comment from a Facebook friend regarding my own complaint about “SJW” being overused as an insult. Nowadays, any film with women or people of colour (POC) featured prominently will inevitably be bombarded with complaints about political correctness, liberal “agendas” or “SJW” influence. Titles such as Mad: Max Fury Road and the latest Halloween are a few examples.
The latest example is Terminator:Dark Fate. Now, I have mixed feelings so far based on the trailer and the previous Terminator films. The last great one was Terminator 2, since then they’ve been forgettable, horrible or decent at best. Based on the trailer, the CGI could use work. The most memorable part of this trailer is actually the music. I like Mackenzie Davis from her performances in Black Mirror’s “San Junipero” and Blade Runner: 2049. It’s good to have Arnold and Linda Hamilton back, but I still want to temper my expectations. Money is always a good motivator to return to an old role, I don’t believe that a good script is the only thing bringing the franchise’s biggest stars back. Additionally (as Jeremy Jahns pointed out) James Cameron’s name may be attached as producer but how hands on will he be if he is also handling multiple Avatar sequels.
With that said, I understand people’s trepidation concerning the latest Terminator film. What I don’t get is the knee-jerk “SJW” complaints.
Let’s move on to this small case study.
I have a bad feeling about this. CGI shitfest. SJW shitfest. Arnie looks 90 years old. Sarah Connor is the only cool thing about it.
— Jase P (@jasepforu) May 23, 2019
So I responded with lol “I see women… SJW!”
Sometimes I tell myself not to pay attention to the trolls, but I guess a part of me wanted to see if this user would present any good arguments for his view. He doesn’t.
That is not it at all. Sarah Connor and Ripley from Alien were bad ass characters not because "they were female." Politicizing females is just bullshit and disgusts most men. The SJW agenda has to be rejected by EVERYBODY.
— Jase P (@jasepforu) May 24, 2019
Okay, so I ask him how he knows that these new female characters won’t be good either. Then he plays himself by saying:
Who cares if they are good or bad. The series is so convoluted & pointless. They probably got rid of John Connor. We are going into 2020 soon so how can they keep using "Judgment Day" as a threat. If they had used practical effects, I might have cared.
— Jase P (@jasepforu) May 24, 2019
“Who cares…”
Why bother commenting on the characters if you feel like the franchise is past its prime anyway? This last tweet should have been your first point if you are just complaining about the franchise as a whole.
This last tweet comes across as a desperate segue by someone who realizes they slipped up and needs to derail the previous conversation. This isn’t an isolated incident either. I can’t count the amount of times someone makes a point, sees the point debunked, and then tries to ignore their previous words and move onto something new.