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Sorry, manbabies, the real problem with the Ghostbusters reboot isn’t misandry but racism

Oh, wait, wrong ghost movie
Oh, wait, wrong ghost movie

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Today will go down in history as a dark day for manbabykind. For today, the lady Ghostbusters trailer dropped. And there was much wailing and tweeting of tweets.

Let’s take a stroll amongst the wailing manbabies on Twitter, indulging their ridiculous rants.

And then let’s talk about what’s really wrong with the Ghostbusters trailer, which has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with race.

First, the manbabies:

There were those who pulled out the old “my childhood has been raped” nonsense.

https://twitter.com/M_Stewarr/status/705445173568868352

There were those who strenuously insisted that their anger at the female Ghostbusters had nothing whatsoever to do with misogyny, nuh-uh, but was rather a reaction to the trailer’s objective terribleness.

https://twitter.com/katmereMUFC/status/705463502278959108

There were the fat-shamers, because at no point in history has a fat person ever been funny.

https://twitter.com/NerdzurK1/status/705500568035397636

There were Trump fans:

https://twitter.com/easternmney/status/705506566758383618

https://twitter.com/jaesex23/status/705499814415486977

Hell, there were so many Trump fans that one observer made a helpful Venn diagram:

https://twitter.com/BCDreyer/status/705475020076785665

There were even a few Knights Who Say Cuck:

https://twitter.com/kcD___/status/705472132185202688

Some raised the specter of WHITE GENOCIDE:

https://twitter.com/TheSamGrady/status/705434158152224772

https://twitter.com/TheSamGrady/status/705496761662578689

Some worried where the evil feminazis would strike next:

https://twitter.com/garmonbozia/status/705427963789979648

Others offered somewhat less comprehensible critiques:

One Tweeter summed up the day on Twitter with a little haiku:

https://twitter.com/luketunderwood/status/705500826580594688

And another Tweeter left us with this existential question:

https://twitter.com/cleotrav/status/705505847129022464

Still another raised the possibility of a second reboot with a rather different cast:

And this guy helped us put it all in perspective:

https://twitter.com/GregorySantos/status/705462910714183680

So what happens once we step back from all the manbaby whining, and the jokes about the manbaby whining. and actually watch the trailer? Well, be my guest:

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit underwhelmed.

There are a few funny moments, but the trailer sort of steps on them. It’s hard to tell if this is a terrible trailer for a good film, or if the Ghostbusters reboot will end up being, well, basically a female version of Adam Sandler’s godwful Pixels.

But the really distressing thing that the trailer reveals is that the three white gals in the movie are the scientists, while Leslie Jones’ Patty is relegated — or so it seems from the trailer — to the tired, stereotypical role of sassy black sidekick who may not be educated but who “knows the streets.”

This racial/racist failure has not exactly gone unnoticed; it’s already inspired thinkpieces and polemics on sites ranging from The Root to The Inquisitr, as well as in innumerable Tweets.

The original Ghostbusters, however hallowed it has become, was infamous for a similar racial failure. That movie’s “black ghostbuster,” played by Ernie Hudson, was so forgettable, and so obviously a token, that the designer simply left him off of this recently reworked Ghostbusters poster featuring his three white comrades.

Despite all the complaints by angry manbabies about the gender-swap of the main characters, it may well turn out that the real problem with the film isn’t that it’s too radically different from the original, but rather that it is too similar — at least in its inability to imagine a black character as more than a token or a stereotype.

The one thing that gives me some hope is Jones herself, an amazing comedian who may have been able to transform her character into something more nuanced and less stereotypical than what we see in the trailer.

I guess we’ll see.

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Zyvlyn
Zyvlyn
9 years ago

I was disappointed by the trailer, pretty much for the exact reasons you stated. Moving past the OBVIOUS racial issues, the part I couldn’t believe was just how none of the jokes landed.

Fingers crossed that it’s just a case of a bad trailer, but my enthusiasm for the movie just dropped considerably.

FriendlyFire
FriendlyFire
9 years ago

Just want to remind everybody that it’s being distributed by Sony, who still hasn’t let Kesha out of her contract with her alleged abuser Dr. Luke.

I hate that they get to be the ones profiting of such a cool and progressive venture…

NickNameNick
NickNameNick
9 years ago

…Winston Zeddemore was actually my favorite Ghostbuster…

Diogenes
Diogenes
9 years ago

I’d disagree with the racial aspect. Winston Zeddemore was probably the most relatable character for some viewers. (i.e. “If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.”) He’s the salt of the earth and plays straight man opposite three wacky academics. From the trailer I saw, it seemed like they were trying to do something similar with Leslie Jones’ character. Some decent movies have pretty bad trailers, so I’ll forbear judgement for now.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
9 years ago

(Been lurking foreva, hi everyone!!!)

So dude says that at least the original Ghostbusters weren’t fat. I seem to recall Bill Murray in 2 saying, “Suck in the guts guys, we’re the Ghostbusters.”

brooked
9 years ago

@Zyvlyn

I was disappointed by the trailer, pretty much for the exact reasons you stated. Moving past the OBVIOUS racial issues, the part I couldn’t believe was just how none of the jokes landed.

I agree with your agreeing. I do hold on to some hope because Paul Feig’s last Film, Spy, was a high concept comedy with a sizable budget and terrible trailers, yet I thought it was hilarious and loved every minute of it.

Paradoxical Intention - Resident Cheeseburger Slut

Repeat after me, shitlords: “No one has retconned my childhood. The original movies still exist, and I can go and watch them whenever. This movie doesn’t change history.”

Though, I would watch an all-male version of Little Women. Of course, pissbabies will cry about that too because there won’t be any explosions and there’ll be those dreaded “feelings” and things, and that the plot doesn’t revolve around violence or murder.

On the topic of the racism: Yeah, I’m also hoping this is a case of bad trailer, and not a case of “we didn’t learn from our past and are now doomed to repeat it”.

Wondering
Wondering
9 years ago

Regarding the manbabies, my husband saw a Reddit comment about how awful this movie is going to be because the original wasn’t a comedy but now they’re making it one.

Some folks may need to re-evaluate what they understand about their childhood favorites.

dreemr
dreemr
9 years ago

I had just watched the trailer before reading this. It just looked like a shot-for-shot remake of the original – and I’ve already seen the original many many times. I’ve no need to see it again with the actors swapped out.

I will reserve judgment until I see/know more, but yeah, underwhelming. I had hoped they would bring something fresh to an old favorite.

And this is all not even counting racism.

Michael Brew
Michael Brew
9 years ago

I am a bit encouraged by the fact that she has enough scenes to make it into a good trailer clip. That alone makes it an improvement over the original, which manages to make complete sense even when you cut his scenes out. Even though the premise is pretty cliché, I think there’s definitely potential for subversion. We’ll just have to see, though.

weirwoodtreehugger
9 years ago

Ryan,
I’d believe your claim that your dislike of this movie has nothing to do with misogyny a little bit more if you didn’t use the word “feminazi” unironically.

Jae,
Ghostbusters will be arriving in theaters not only before the inauguration but well before the election. So even if it wouldn’t be a violation of the 1st amendment – not freeze peach, actual free speech violation! – President Trump will not be able to stop it.

Vox Day,
Louisa May Alcott did in fact write a sequel to Little Women called Little Men. Jo turns the large house she inherited from her grumpy aunt into a boarding school for poor and/or orphaned boys. Yes. Jo March, that evil feminist type of woman did more for fictional boys than any MRA ever did for real ones.

You might not have known about Little Men because it wasn’t turned into a movie. I would think an “author” would know about books that weren’t adapted into movies, but apparently not.

Jamesworkshop
Jamesworkshop
9 years ago

https://twitter.com/Lesdoggg/status/705449841330102272

Jones herself is in the movie, thus knows more than we do from a trailer. overall she seems to be defending the movie in the strongest possible terms.

The trailer wasn’t great.

weirwoodtreehugger
9 years ago

Been lurking foreva, hi everyone!!!)

So dude says that at least the original Ghostbusters weren’t fat. I seem to recall Bill Murray in 2 saying, “Suck in the guts guys, we’re the Ghostbusters.”

Welcome!

What I think you’ve forgotten is that to misogynists, only men who are quite obese are fat. Although I think they lower the fatness bar for feminist men. Women, on the other hand are fat if they are larger than a US size 2.

NickNameNick
NickNameNick
9 years ago

I’d disagree with the racial aspect. Winston Zeddemore was probably the most relatable character for some viewers. (i.e. “If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.”) He’s the salt of the earth and plays straight man opposite three wacky academics.

Exactly! He’s the only one of the four who, when it comes to telling others about ghostly phenomenon, actually gets how outrageous all that stuff would sound. He doesn’t disbelieve it, of course, but it’s clear that – next to Bill Murray – he’s more of a people person than either Egon or Stantz.

Victorious Parasol
Victorious Parasol
9 years ago

I’m hoping the full movie will bring out more of Patty’s municipal historian side, which sounds like a pretty fascinating thing:

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/services/historian/winslowdoc.html

sbel
sbel
9 years ago

It looks terrible. 🙁 And if it fails, there’ll be a bunch of people ready to jump in and say “See? This is why we don’t make comedies with female casts.” 🙁

I ain't afraid of no ghost
I ain't afraid of no ghost
9 years ago

His childhood was *officially* raped! There were forms and everything. In triplicate. The notaries wept.

Nequam
Nequam
9 years ago

As I posted over in the “feminists want white guys to die” thread, before knowing there’d be a specific Ghostbusters thread, this looks relentlessly okay.

I’d probably *still* rather go to some specialty lost-film screening or a Mister Lobo (local horror host) presentation.

Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III
Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III
9 years ago

I’m thinking probably not as good as Ghostbusters but better than Ghostbusters II? Somewhere on a par with a good episode of Real Ghostbusters? Eh, you could do worse.

Wwaxwork
Wwaxwork
9 years ago

Seems a lot of people are quick to pick on a movie based on the trailer as someone who watched the first & second trailer for Suicide Squad today. The first one had me figuring I’d save my money & see it on Netflix, the second had me marking the release date in my calendar.

So I’m going to reserve judgement . . . for now. What I think annoys me the most is the guys tweeting act like no comedy with an all male cast ever tanked.

Social Justice Atheist
Social Justice Atheist
9 years ago

It’s funny how that one dude says he hates fat people, but Trump is an exception. Because of course he is.

As for the new Ghostbusters, it sounds like unfortunately they are doing the “token sassy black woman as sidekick” thing that has been done to death. Although it’s kinda hard to tell from just the trailer.

Besides that fact, the trailer itself doesn’t make the movie look very funny or appealing IMHO. I’m probably still going to see it though.

davidknewton
9 years ago

If these people’s childhoods are erased, do they disappear from the world as adults? I kind of hope so.

Paradoxical Intention - Resident Cheeseburger Slut

davidknewton | March 3, 2016 at 8:20 pm
If these people’s childhoods are erased, do they disappear from the world as adults? I kind of hope so.

Maybe it’s like a weird Butterfly Effect.

Maybe if they never saw Ghostbusters or became Ghostbusters Fans (which I doubt all of these people are, some of them just seem like they’re complaining because something they liked as a kid is now being “feminized” despite the fact they might not like it now) events would have changed, they wouldn’t have experienced certain things, and they would have different world views and they wouldn’t be massive misogynist shitheads.

Kylo Ronin
Kylo Ronin
9 years ago

I sort of thought the trailer was okay. Aside from the racism.

Sweaty Examination Goblin
Sweaty Examination Goblin
9 years ago

Why… why is the childhood so sacred? This has to be part of the manbaby psychology; not only can we not put our toys away, we must defend them to the death. If you’re stuck in a romanticized past, it makes sense that you would wish nothing to change, critique, or add to that past.

This made me realize how pathetic these people are. I’m sad now.

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