Thread Closed
(03-19-2015, 11:56 AM)Eleni Wrote: I still can't come up with a response for this thread. My brain draws a blank. :/
Maybe I should just take Flynt senpai's advice and run away from this thread.Â
Or just enjoy cookies. Â *jumps into mountain of cookies piled up*
I wouldn't try to force a response.Â
To finally add my input, here's my viewpoint.
"Mary Sue" is sexist when someone -wants- it to be sexist. As others have said, it was designed as basically a checklist of traits to define a self-inserted/original character in a preexisting setting/story/world.
Did it happen to be a female character in its creation? Yes. Would it carry the same meaning if a male character had the same traits? I would say yes.Â
Is it sexist that the words themselves refer to a female? As in, is it sexist because we've allocated a traditionally female name to have this meaning? Perhaps. But just as above, we have other gendered phrases like Peeping Tom and Average Joe. One could delve into the etymology and reasons on why the terms were coined the way they were, but ultimately, it would probably come down to perceived sex/gender roles at the time of their creation, which in turn could lead to the terms being sexist. Did the terms age well? That's an opinion that can differ for people. So no, the words themselves are sexist, but perhaps the intent in choosing them were, at some point in time, judged in a more "modern" frame of thinking. I don't think there was malicious intent in their coining as much as a lack of a better neutral term that would have worked as well in the creator's mind.