Small Note Re: DC and Marvel’s Gayfest
Just a small thing here, in case any of you weren’t aware of it: Marvel and DC are huge corporations that don’t really care about you or anyone else you like. They’ve spent countless amounts of money ruining numerous people who worked for them — under blatantly unethical contracts they were forced into just to use their paychecks — and continue to pull unethical stunt after unethical stunt. These companies are not honourable, fun, good, scrupulous, ethical, or the kind of company that most people want to support. They are, instead, companies that exist to exploit not only other people’s work, but also to exploit their readers in any and every way possible.
This latest gayfest going on between Marvel and DC is nothing more than cheap exploitation. They haven’t done it for honourable reasons, they never do; they’ve just discovered the endless bandwagon-jumping of gay and gay-friendly audiences, or else they wouldn’t have tried it in the first place. Even Archie Comics (who aren’t a very friendly or ethical company either) successfully exploited that by creating a character — out of profit desperation — who was little more than a lump of stereotypes impressed onto a cardboard cut-out of Jughead. Now that Marvel and DC have spotted that, they’re eager to dip into the same profit-well. And whenever One Million Moms/One Million Morons decide to boycott or to throw shade, Marvel and DC know it’s the best thing possible, because well-meaning people will immediately rush to their assistance as if they’re some kind of victim here.
But they’re not. They’re just as vile as the inept bigots who got their collective One Million Panties in a twist.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend. As a gay guy myself, I have to say I find both parties here completely contemptible. Gays aren’t some kind of monkey for your entertainment. A gay wedding? It wouldn’t even be there if they didn’t think Archie made a profit from it. And since One Million Morons is doing exactly the same thing they did with the Archie comic, Marvel know they’re going to profit from people’s misguided kindness. Or defiance. DC are doing the same stupid stunt, with a character who barely gets written well (or at all) and one who is so young that his actual sexuality will never come into it. Appropriately, since most gay characters are never allowed to have long-term romantic attachments or they’re made minor characters. That, or they lump as many minorities into the relationship so they don’t have to involve other characters in anything touching minorities. They are only marrying off Northstar because this is their way of getting something out of a character they don’t care about — a character whom they no longer view as viable but couldn’t kill off because he’s gay.
Last of all, I have to ask: why is this even noteworthy for the X-Men? They’ve lived as outsiders for decades (though probably not in their perception of the universe) and it really doesn’t matter at all to them what the non-mutant world thinks of what they do. Why should they care either way?
Anyway, I know some of you are looking forward to this and all, but I thought I might try at least a little bit to point out that neither Marvel nor DC are unfortunate victims here, and showing support for a tacky comic book wedding or an embarrassingly badly-written token queer isn’t as helpful as one might think. If anything, it sends a message that gays and GLBTQ characters are easy cash-ins, to these companies that care far more about your wallet than they ever did about your actual rights.
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