Colin McMahon

The Topless Question and Oh, about Those Celebrity Leaks

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Colin McMahon

Right away, it should be obvious to tell that this post will focus on issues much more directly regarding women. Men cannot go topless. Men can only take off their shirts.

This sign highlights one of the common views on the physical differences between men and women pretty aptly.

There is a truly bizarre fascination with nudity in this world. To my knowledge, no one has ever died from nudity. No child ever saw the nude form and was struck blind, regardless of what certain religious doctrines claim. Yet if you listen to most civilized cultures out there: being naked in public is one of the most damaging things an individual can do. There are laws (some very strict) against it.

Now, before I continue, let me just say that some of these laws are very good and serve a purpose. Being naked by itself may not be dangerous, however there are plenty of perverts and deviants out there who can use nudity to harm society. Laws against these people are a necessity and increase safety as well as allowing individuals to grow up unscathed from horrible memories. Yet those people aside… just how dangerous is nudity?

Fun fact: the concept for the film Human Centipede was imagined as a fitting sentence for sex offenders and child rapists. I will let the debate on this punishment land where it will. — Fun fact: the concept for the film *Human Centipede* was imagined as a fitting sentence for sex offenders and child rapists. I will let the debate on this punishment land where it will.

Well… it isn’t. Few studies have been done on the effects of family/parental nudity in front of minors, but one of the most thorough “found no ill effect and no good effects of parental nudity.” Again, this is in regards to simply nudity – without any sexual intent. Yet it is this differentiation that is likely the main problem. Where does nudity end and sexuality begin?

Well it seems that, for women, sexuality begins the very moment that they remove their top and expose their breasts. Written like that, it does not sound stimulating (or maybe it does, I don’t judge) but that is how most media-created sex scenes begin. The aroused woman tossing off her top to indicate that she is ready to begin. This image has become so entrenched in sexuality that it is impossible to be seen as a simple act of nudity… or then again, maybe most men are just really turned on by boobs.

Beginning a sexual act in public is, at the very least, likely impolite. It is not hard to see how the label “indecent” was ascribed to such actions. Yet what if a woman simply wants to remove her top? After all, men do it all the time and there is no overt association with sexual intent. In the name of equality: shouldn’t all women be allowed to go topless at their leisure (or at least only bound by the same restrictions that affect men).

Go Topless is a movement to empower women to be able to go topless without fear of criminal reprocussions. The movement has gone to several major cities, including Montreal. — Go Topless is a movement to empower women to be able to go topless without fear of criminal repercussions. The movement has gone to several major cities, including Montreal.

Well, even the most fervent human rights activist will acknowledge the physical difference between men and women. Men don’t have breasts, women do – so of course the rules are different. Really though, it is not simply for the reason listed above that most societies discourage toplessness (or nudity in general). The concerned citizen will say that it is to dangerous for a woman to just walk around topless. It could give the wrong idea.

Right – while that may be true, let’s quickly examine that argument in all its glory. It implies that a great enough percentage of men will rape at the mere sight of breasts to create this atmosphere of extreme hostility. Boy, that does not give us guys much credit. Also pokes a hole in the whole sexist attitude of men being superior. If our minds are superior to women, why is it that we can be reduced to primal instinct with the removal of a couple garments? Does not sound like the superior sex to me.

Second argument: the human body is shameful and should be hidden. Right… I have written about this before. Needless to say, I find this argument to be… I believe the most politically correct term I can use is f*cking stupid.

The idea that nudity will make people indecent in character. Well, let’s look at a recent example:

ABOUT THOSE CELEBRITY LEAKS

A presumably clothed person did something VERY indecent and exposed a lot of people who wished to keep their nude forms a secret.

Now before I go further, I feel I should make my general stance on this issue known. It is a crime what happened to the celebrities involved. It was nothing less than an invasion and subsequent theft of private materials. The hacker (whoever he or she may be) should be arrested and held fully accountable to the standard of the law. Apple should also be held accountable for allowing the leak to happen and for their blatant overuse of the Cloud (it is hard to truly delete something when it is quietly backed up to another source). To those on the internet – the internet is a moral-free highway of information. Nothing can or should be stopped from being filtered through. We cannot close the internet to “indecent material” without creating a very slippery slope as to what indecent material is. Illegal material (such as child pornography) is, of course, another matter entirely.

So that being said, you have the right to use the internet to share those pictures. Those celebrities also have the right to hunt you down and persecute you to the fullest extent of the law. It is their wrongfully seized material after all, this is not a case of the Beyonce Super Bowl photo. You decide if it’s really worth it.

There is a huge difference between sharing this public photo and stealing nudes from people who never wanted to share them. Remember that.

All that said, this is not the first time that private material has been stolen or even the first time that nudes have been stolen and posted without consent. There is a sick obsession with celebrities that I believe went indecent long before those pictures were leaked. Also, in terms of the scale of crimes and atrocities happening in the world – this is really at the lower end of the totem pole. With all due respect to those affected (again, it is a crime). Personally, if I was told that I could eradicate two out of three crimes from the world and my choices were: stopping invasion of privacy in terms of identity theft, stopping invasion of privacy in terms of publishing private and personal documents, and stopping invasion of privacy in terms of stopping nude leaks… it would be an easy choice as to which would be leftover.

Yet it is this obsession with the taboo of nudity that helped turn this into such an issue. Yes, there may well have also been some misogynistic intent involved. I’m sure there are those sick individuals out there who view these talented women (yes, primarily women targeted… few people seem to care about nude male celebrities) as nothing more than collections of attractive body parts. This is problem completely unrelated to nudity, privacy, or anything else. It is a much greater problem that results in most of the unequal treatment towards women.

Many people, however, have probably only looked on curiosity and arousal. Society conditions us that every showing of the nude female form is sexual, so these can be seen as nothing less. In terms of judging these actions, it is hard to. Please do not look at anyone’s stolen material, there is enough out there that is completely legal and well (or at least slightly more) accepted in this bizarre taboo of nudity.

Yet, as long as these taboos exist, incidents like this will continue. As long as people demand nudity, that forbidden fruit of indecency, it will be in high demand.

The moral dilemma facing most people right now.

For those out there wondering, spoiler alert: all of those celebrities did indeed have breasts and vaginas. I know right, stop the f*cking presses.

Yeah Korra's Great, but What Happened to Katara?

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Colin McMahon

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko deserve a lot of credit. In today’s world of strong-guy dominated entertainment, the pair are responsible for giving children many positive female role models to grow up with. Their first show, Avatar: the Last Airbender, brought audiences strong protagonists like Katara, Toph, and Suki, while at the same time providing an equally strong antagonist in the character of Azula. When the duo moved on to the Legend of Korra, it was hoped that the strong woman trend would continue. The good news is that, for the most part, it has. Legend of Korra has three main strong female characters, one of them being the titular hero, Korra. The other two, Asami and Lin Bei Fong, also feature significant screen time and well developed character arcs. As the series has progressed, more and more women characters have been introduced, and all of them appear fairly well written. Since Legend of Korra is a sequel show, some of the characters from the original have returned as well: namely Katara and Zuko. The sad news is that, the return has not been great.

Katara was one of the main characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is the first character introduced to the audience Throughout the intro it is her voice narrating. She is quickly established as someone who rebels against established gender roles. Within five minutes of the show starting, Katara is calling out Sokka (her brother) for his sexism and dismissive mature towards women. This character trait continues throughout the series as Katara encounters several situations, most notably her training in the North Pole, which try to place restrictions on her because of her gender. In the face of every challenge, Katara remains defiant. She continually proves the established order wrong and demonstrates that she is as capable as any man.

Katara’s fighting abilities grew as the show progressed. By series’ end, she was the strongest waterbender present.

As strong-willed as Katara is, it goes hand in hand with her generosity. Simply put, she is written as a character with an incredible sense of moral responsibility. There are several instances in the show where Katara goes out of her way, sometimes at hindrance to herself, in order to help those in need. In her words: “I will never, EVER turn my back on people who need me.”

Wow, you can see why she’s a positive role model. What helps keep Katara balanced is the strength of her nurturing side. In the world today, there seems to be a misconception that a “strong” woman has no maternity instincts, that caring for another only takes away from personal goals. Avatar: the Last Airbender may be one of the first shows (definitely first cartoons) to showcase the strength of caring and being there for another person. There is a power in Katara’s scenes that does not exist in any of Aang’s or Zuko’s.

In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful scenes in the series.

All right, so far I’ve been talking up Katara a lot. I wanted to write out the strengths of her character creation. Partly to again give credit where credit is do, and partly to contrast this Katara from the older version that the audience sees in Legend of Korra. Katara, now in her eighties, returns as a minor character in the new show. This would be terrific… if she was anything like the Katara from the first series. No, the strong fighter appears to have traded in her chops for an order of elderly grandma. Good for taking care of toddlers and the sick… but not much else.

This is not an attempt to say that Katara should be more involved in Legend of Korra. She states herself at the beginning of the series that her time as a hero of the world is over. Yet there are two instances in particular where Katara’s involvement is strangely limited.

Katara hands off the primary responsibility to a new generation… before vowing to do nothing.

The first occurs in season two, when the South Pole is invaded by the North. Many of the Southerners revolt and there is open fighting in the streets. The North have come on the claim of ‘restoring culture’ and ‘bringing balance.’ The audience watches as many Southern Water Tribe characters fight for their personal freedom and their right to be independent. Sound familiar?

On one level, this is the same conflict that Katara faced in the first series, just on a larger scale. Here is how she reacted in the first show:

Wow, that’s really spirited, and she is just trying to prove her worth against an idiotic custom. I can’t imagine how fiercely she fights for her freedom and the freedom of her entire nation. Here is how she fights back in Legend of Korra:

Yeah, there is none, and time is devoted to showing the Southern rebellion. The audience knows that Katara has stepped out of the spotlight but seriously, the battle is on her front door.

“Well she’s old.”

Yes, Katara is old… and it’s not like old people ever do anything cool or active in these shows…

Except of course for the entire society of cool older people who are actively involved in shaping world events.

Yeah, that excuse does not fly in this show. Writers DiMartino and Konietzko have done too much with the older generation for “I’m old” to be anywhere close to a valid excuse. Katara did not have to win the battle single-handedly for the South, but it is against her character that she would do nothing.

Instance Two occurs in season three with the appearance of Firelord Zuko. While Zuko’s involvement is little more than fan service, at least he is seen being active (he is supposed to be at least a couple of years older than Katara btw). The head scratcher comes when Korra requests Zuko’s guidance. She is desperate for council from someone at least familiar when a past Avatar and claims that “he knew Aang better than anyone.”

Sure, cause what would Katara know really?

Now there is the argument to be made that Zuko is the person who best knew Aang who is in the immediate facility. This is true, they are not at the South Pole. It is more of a bizarre line than anything else, but it does draw attention to a weird observation: why is Katara staying at the South Pole? When did she get so passive? Her children are actively working to rebuild Aang’s culture… and she’s at home?

Katara is pictured as very frail in the new show. It is a bizarre development that does not seem to come from anywhere, outside the fact that she lost her husband.

“Sorry kids, grandma needs to watch her stories.”

It’s just sad. Somewhere in the script writing, a decision was made that Katara would not be involved. Honestly, as harsh as it would be, it would be easier to believe that Katara had died rather than just become an old grandmother sitting by herself at the South Pole. When the audience is introduced to her, she is directly watching over Korra’s development. What happened to Katara? It is a sad day when one of the most powerful role models for young women is told to go sit quietly in the corner… and actually does so.

While I’m not for this level of involvement, it would be nice to see a happy medium.

In Defense of After Earth

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Colin McMahon

Let me say something right now before I defend this movie: it is a bad movie. It is really poorly made. I would not recommend that anyone watch this film. It was simple of a disaster of near epic proportions.

All right.

Anyone law-savvy take note: never begin a client’s defense like that.

After Earth is the latest movie from fallen star M. Night Shyamalan. The once brilliant master of suspense (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs) has fallen to earth with more force than most comets, and appears fully determined to sink down right into the center of the Earth. Following up his first disaster (Lady in the Water) with entertainment turds The Happening and The Last Airbender, there did not appear to be any end in sight. How bad could Shyamalan get… just watch his next movie to find out. Until now.

With each bad Shyamalan film, there was always a ‘silver lining’ way to view failure. Lady in the Water was an interesting (yet very flawed) commentary on storytelling. The Happening had a challenging concept that would have made Alfred Hitchcock go: “no way man, I’ll stick with birds.” The Last Airbender was his first and, to date, only movie where there was no such positive spin. Apart from composer James Newton Howard: nobody did their jobs well on that movie.

After Earth is a poorly written movie with a weak leading actor, but still possesses quite a few cool concepts.

For starters, let’s look at a potentially cool character conception that translated incredibly poorly to the screen. Cypher Raige (not kidding on the name) is, in concept, a super soldier. He is emotionally detached to the point of being a living weapon. Yet it does not appear that this was a man born without emotion. Throughout the movie, Rage makes hints to returning to a more human existence. He seems to be trapped in the emotionless void he created to survive. For instance: he has a son that he can only speak to as a soldier.

In the beginning, Raige shows some flickerings of emotion with his wife. After that, there was A LOT of deadpan with this face.

This has potential to be an interesting character arch. The danger of writing a character like this, however, is that if it is done poorly, the audience will be forced to endure a cold, emotionless robot as one of their main characters. Exactly what happened to Will Smith‘s performance in After Earth.

Another cool idea: a hostile earth. This realm of science fiction is already starting to come home to reality, but to create the idea of a human-abandoned earth sounds intriguing. Also, this does not appear to be a recent desertion either. The movie gives the audience a planet that has had time to revert to a complete feral state. There are no real traces of cities or any human settlement left on the planet. The surviving animal species have been left on their own to evolve and adapt into incredibly dangerous and hostile versions of their former selves.

How exactly is this baboon any more or less dangerous to humans than a baboon of today? — How exactly is this baboon any more or less dangerous to humans than a baboon today?

Or not.

Again, another problem of the script breaks through to derail the concept. After Earth feels like two independent ideas sandwiched into one script. In one story, the animals of Earth have evolved to pose a very great threat to humans. In another, Earth has become a planet with extremely dangerous climate conditions. This latter idea dominates most of the movie, however all the set up is done stressing the dangers of the planet’s inhabitants.

“Everything on this planet has evolved to kill humans.”

Or not.

Also, great thing to tell your son before lecturing him on the importance of not being afraid.

Do not let this man become a motivational speaker.

There is no real animal threat in the movie, save for an Ursa, which is a chemically engineered non-native of Earth. That line works great in trailers but ultimately comes off as the exact opposite of intelligence.

The cgi rendering in this film: not super great.

Finally, the story itself. The idea of a father and son getting trapped together on a hostile world sounds promising. The fact that the two have a miserable relationship adds potential for characters. The injury to the father should help to prompt a sci-fi coming of age story that is worth watching. Sure, After Earth‘s plot is simple but there is potential there – just not for a summer action blockbuster.

The best moments of this movie are when it's not trying so hard to entertain. Maybe the expectations of a smaller, independent release would have suited this film better. — The best moments of this movie are when it’s not trying so hard to entertain. Maybe the expectations of a smaller, independent release would have suited this film better.

It fell apart in the script, and whether it was Shyamalan’s directing or Jaden Smith‘s acting, there was no strong performance to save it.

Should you watch this movie: only if you’re like me and you enjoy analyzing and critiquing stories. Otherwise, there is a lot of vastly superior science fiction to enjoy at the moment. The worst may be behind M. Night Shyamalan, but he still has a lot more climbing left to do.

Author: Colin McMahon