Asklemmy

Because we want the story, not the gender stuff.

Sometimes gender makes no difference. But sometimes the author wants to make a point about gender. I have zero interest in points about gender.

so much was comics at the start I was wondering if it was more a comics thing. I know I don't like when they change the characters in most cases (green lanterns being a job makes it easy to change it up). But then it went into other genres. is this really a widespread complaint. I have just not been watching much modern stuff really so maybe Im missing the drama.

Men are not the only ones that watch movies...There are plenty of movies either female led or majority female but they are typically not very popular amongst women either and consequently don't make very much money

Inherent sexism in society to control people into doing what the dominant majority of society wants (which got there by force and enslaving and manipulation of the "lesser" people)

imo

Main Points

1. most people (including most men) do not actually give a fuck.

2. a tiny insignificant group mumbling in a dark corner probably do care, but noone should give a shit or listen to them.

3. instead their voice is amplified in social/legacy media as a typical divide and conquer tactic (men vs women is 'powerful' as its half the planet vs the other half).

4. unoriginal drones parrot those amplifications because they'll get angry about whatever their screens tell them to this week.

5. society has leaned male-dominant for too long, so genuine efforts to be fair are perceived by some idiots (see #2,#4) as "unfair".

6. corporations don't actually give a shit about equality, so their maliciously half-arsed pretense at fairness rings hollow, adding more fuel to the flames.

Bonus

If you want to know more about this, see the Bechdel test, once you see it, you can't unsee it everywhere you go:

The test asks whether a work features at least two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man.

To add to this, the "default" for a three-character ensemble in circa 90s kids media was: one (white) boy, one (white) girl, one (non-white) boy, for a 1:2 gender/race and 2:1 "diversity" ratio, which made the media feel diverse (back then this was generally considered a good thing) while still making male and white the default. In other words, a win-win that still was a setback to true diversity. Examples: Wishbone TV show and Harry Potter (if you count ginger as non-white).

Idk I'd guess for a lot of people it's just pinning their dislike which might come from anywhere to a superficialy unfamiliar part of whatever media they are watching. The other reason is like, conservative patriarchal propaganda, trolling, bait whatever and just sorta falling into the crowd on any of these.

Also there is media written for women that likely doesn't have this problem, or at least not as much. But then again the normative position to sell to is a male one.

Now being male I never really see an issue with my media representation(because there is none at least from numbers), but also I generally complain about media not for it's cast of characters. If I complain it's usually, either because I just feel uncomfortable/bored with it for whatever reason, or because it comes of as disingenuous or lazy, both of which will get me to drop it.

Art by committee/ marketing aim doesn't feel right to me usually and casting female/progressive can sometimes happen for that reason. As in a part of the cast makeup is decided in order to bait a particular reaction to generate publicity, and conservatives being angry is still publicity.

In this case then the real issue of bad art is doubly masked by one one hand people complaining about woke cast, while on the other hand people consume slop they would've never known if not for baited conservatives complaining. While the production behind it laughs it's way to the bank.

I'm just one guy tho who hasn't really even seen all that much what do I know about art, content and the world.

Because men run entertainment, we can make sure men are making it. Because men are making it, their Mary sue stories are the ones that get released.

That’s how it happens, in my opinion, but I don’t get how more men aren’t completely fucking bored looking at it and listening to it! Seriously, as a middle aged, acerbic, bearded white man, I’m sick of seeing characters that only I can relate to. It’s not a compelling character anymore. I want different characters with different stories!

people who are socially functional do not actually complain about this. the internet does not represent humanity

I didn't complain about females whatsoever.

I complain about complainers.

There's a saying, something like "When you're used to privilege, equality feels like oppression." It's the same with white folks who feel like it's a big deal when there's more than a token POC in something. It must be DEI, right?

I'm a straight, white, middle class male, but I'm fully aware that my life experience is much different from so many other peoples'. And I've never understood why some people feel like it takes away from them when someone else gets something, like the straight folks who feel like it takes away from straight marriage if gay folks can marry.

People are weird.

Nobody notices things that conform to their expectations—but when anything violates their expectations, they assume it’s a deliberate message. (Even if it’s fiction violating their genre expectations in the direction of reality.)

And if they can’t figure out what the message is supposed to be, they let other people tell them. And if people tell them different things, they go with the one that makes them feel the strongest reaction.

Me, a male reading mostly manhwa of the romance fantasy genre where 99% of it have female protagonists: yeah, this is not talking about me. This kind of discussions are more about creating conflict rather than understanding. If people have time to start fights about the sex of the characters they have no interest in the story itself. Statistics on who is drawn more are kinda useless...

I can't speak for anyone else. But for me personally. I don't mind if they have a female or male lead. What I care about is if the story and characters are believable. Many times it's like they just said well here we are going to have a female lead just because. Yet when you look at the story and at the character it doesn't make sense.

Ex :

A strong female lead who is supposed to be commanding people and yet when she gives commands it just comes across as bitchy not assertive. And when you look at the story the character wouldn't have the training to be able to know even what to do.

It's like the director and writers just had to put a female on the screen.

The above example is just an example not meant to point at a specific movie or show.

A few of movies where they did it right.

The women in the movie Red. That was excellent writing and acting. The original Alien movie was awesome. Oh yeah and Mr and Mrs Smith kicked ass Angelina was awesome in that movie

To many current movies just feel like a board room full of people with an agenda of let's make a movie with a female lead without asking if the scenario makes sense.

This is just my opinion as I can't speak for others.

I didn't complain.

Because when the norm to these people is media that exclusively panders to them, even one single piece of media that doesn't represent them is a zero-to-100 change. Going from even 0 to 1 piece of inclusive media is startling, new, and scary to them, because they're simply not used to it.

It's the root of the entire conservative mentality (which is why you'll primarily see conservative men talking about this) since all conservatism is based in a desire for things to remain the same. Change is just scary to these people, no matter how benign the change may be.

Once female speaking time reaches 30% or more, males believe that the females are dominating the speaking time.

Female encroachment on what has traditionally been considered male spaces is not taken well. Female empowerment is considered taking from deserving males.

Essentially the general male population don't like females, and only tolerate them as a subservient subclass who should be seen and not heard.

EDIT: This should probably annoy you a little too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt2qCjL6-n4

And it may also explain why people complain that there should only ever be one female character - it minimises the chances of males having to watch two females interact, because that would be excluding the male experience and they couldn't possibly relate to two females interacting.

EDIT2: comments in that video do claim there are more scenes... whether or not that really adds much is up to you.

I have no idea, but I think this video is on to something.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CGL7_CO3YDg

Using males to mean men is as weird as men who says females when they mean women.

Because the majority of dudes complaining are incel man babies who need to feel like they are the focus of society. If its not exactly how they like it its not right. Its time we start shouting down on them loudly.