My problem with the identity driven entertainment is how the norm refuses to recognize neither the cause nor solution. Is it overplayed? It’s certainly getting there. Sexuality, sexual orientation is not a substitute for personality. It is however, a point that draws strong emotion because it’s only recently that homosexuality has found a basic level of acceptance and only in a general sense at that. That’s the cause. People being mistreated. The solution? People want to be heard....so listen.
Look, it's not a mystery. It's merely another form of virtue-signaling. 'Look how sensitive we are! Look how caring and thoughtful we are!' I mean seriously, does anyone care that Marvel is going to add a lesbian superhero? Not me. Since we don't have Marvel sex scenes, I literally don't care what the super-powered cartoon characters choose to do in their bedrooms. But to hear people talk about it, it's like the biggest news in Hollywood. And all these people cheering about their particular group being 'represented' in some movie or tv show. Oh OK, you're 'represented' now. And what did that get you? Do you get a trophy? Does your self-esteem hinge on whether a member of your group is unambiguously displayed on a movie or TV screen? Every other TV commercial these days seems to be be going out of its way to display tiny fractions of the population as though they were the norm. They're not. And it's getting more and more cringe-worthy and grating. I believe that's the phenomenon about which the OP was opining.
It IS big news for those people. It's not about sex scenes - it's about seeing people who they identify with portrayed to the world as normal people, so hopefully they can be seen as normal people too. When people talk about white/male privilege, this is it right here. You have no idea what it means to people because you've never been in their shoes, and thus you dismiss and mock it. It's just simple ignorance. Seeing people that look like yourself in a positive role does have an impact - historically, there's plenty of evidence for it. We went through this stuff with black sitcoms and how the Cosby Show, for example, had an impact on racial perceptions. *You* don't feel it because superheros have never been different than you and the change on people's attitudes is very subtle over time. But just look at people's reactions to Black Panther and Captain Marvel - especially from kids and their parents - and it becomes crystal clear what impact it has. You saw it on this forum with CM - parents who took their daughters reacted totally differently to the movie than single adults. LBGTQ issues are a new forefront. It makes lots of people uncomfortable - and TV characters help normalize it. Many years ago, a gay couple kissing on TV was unthinkable - and now, it's completely normal and acceptable on mainstream primetime network TV. And that's contributed to the acceptance of gay marriage. So yeah, it has an impact - albeit very slow, and accompanied by b****ing along the way. But not all entertainment is meant for everyone - Netflix has literally hundreds of shows. If this stuff doesn't appeal to you, they have plenty of other options.
if it's of importance to them and of seemingly little importance to you then why do you care? you don't get to be the arbiter of these things. i just find it odd that grown ass people spend any time caring about other groups wanting to feel included and represented in society. your attitude is exactly the problem - you have no idea what it's like to be in their underrepresented and often discriminated minority but you believe you can tell them what should and shouldn't matter to them.
Here's how gay people were portrayed in media in the 1950 - creepy predators coming for your children: In the late 60's through the 80's they were super swishy comic interlude Paul Lynde type characters, one-dimensionally-nothing-but-gay: The fact that some people get upset at having to see gay characters who are portrayed as sympathetic human beings makes me happy inside. Every Proud Boy shrieking impotently at Captain Marvel or Black Panther to no effect warms the cockles of my heart.
There was a period last year when it felt like every other day the podcasts on NPR we're about trans, parents of trans, partner of new trans or trans children. I get it's a unique and hard to adjust experience. Just don't need it on my learning radar all the time.
I watch enough streaming services to render an opinion. I don't know what shows you're talking about?? I'm sure I've seen some of them, I just don't even notice it as a big deal.
There's a show called Another Life on Netlix that stars Katee Sackhoff where one of the characters looks like a woman but she has a beard. Later in the show she's basically making out with another man. I have to say it was a weird part of the show and I have no idea why that was injected into the show except to say, look, trans is okay or what have you. Strangely, the show also featured a threesome. I guess we're trying to normalize that too.
