Signal Boost: Signal Boost: Stitch's Media Mix

[shy_magpie]

isabellerecs posted: Signal Boost: Stitch's Media Mix

Queer-Coding, Bad-Bat-Takes, And Why The Joker Isn’t That Important to Batman

I never realized how much I merely tolerate Joker as a means to get to Harley Quinn. Every time I tried to come up with a Batman-Joker interaction that refuted anything said in this essay or was even actually interesting to me I came up with Batman having a complicated emotion about Harley. On the plus side, I am no longer getting my Batman content by watching the animated series after school so I can simply read comics that have Harley but not Joker. Always weird coming across stuff about a series I used to be really into, especially since this was one of those "fan but not in the fandom" things where I keep forgetting that I'm not in middle school and I can talk to people other than my indulgent older brother about it.

Back to the essay itself, my only quibble is that I think of Joker more performing queerness because its a way to make people uncomfortable than as a character who sees sex and love as anything other than a power play (and not the fun kind). I spent a chunk of middle school obsessed with the Batman Superman adventures so I hope I can be forgiven an essay pulled out of my...memory of that show and the few comics I've read. In the cartoon anyway Joker broke Harley more or less for the lulz and lost interest in the game once he was sure of his control. He calls people darling and makes passes at men when he wants to unsettle them or hint at his power ("you can't stop me" being more important than the actual implication of sexual harassment/rape). If we are to see his sexuality as a dark mirror of Batman it is in that neither Bruce nor his alter ego even seem comfortable with power imbalances in a romantic relationship(except possibly the fun kind, he wears too much leather and likes Catwoman too much to ignore the possibility). I can't see him even flirting without making it clear that he was fine with a no. Consider two he is most often shipped with: Catwoman caught his interest by besting him without actually crossing his moral lines (his attempts to stop her usually being perfunctory or more of a game than a real objection to her actions), and Superman is one of very few outside of the Batfam he actually asks for help or seems to regard as his equal as a Superhero. In short, Joker strikes me as liking to fuck with people more than fuck people.

Comments

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

See, some of those things, especially the fancy clothes aren't auto-effeminate if one looks back-- the outer part of the Adam West Batman's Joker's suit is a zoot suit. Effeminate is hardly the word.

I've been writing m/m since last century, so I remember when "man bag" was very very tame--for that matter, when the ones in the '70s came into use it was because the double knit slacks were so tight you could read the washing instructions;)

I think class and ethnic issues have gotten shortened shrift- Men's clothing had a lot more color prior to the 1950s.

[shy_magpie]

It seems to go back and forth, plus I need to remember that just because my history lessons were censored doesn't mean that the past wasn't more varied than I envision it.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

As I had a tag over on tumblr, History was in Color.

https://historicallyaccuratesteve.tumblr.com has a lot of social history that's useful for understanding pre-Stonewall America.

It's not complete, and it is on hiatus (it's not mine, it's owner does still post here on DW)

I did do some labor and immigration history, and I'm from a rail town.

I will be learning what things to unlearn to the grave.

[shy_magpie]

Ooh thanks, I've been listening to Stuff You Missed In History Class but that podcast is more general grounding than specific topics

[shy_magpie]

Also you have a more interesting set of references than me, when I said man bag I was referring to the weather when whole sit com episodes were devoted to the premise that if a man owned a bag other than a brief case or luggage people would think he was gay ;)

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

I did clean that one up. I will warn you that sometimes my fic will trot out phraseology not checked for sensitivity-not because I'm trying to trigger anyone, but because it's both character apt and I've got another trusted character to drop on it like Steve on that dud grenade.

Briefcases used to be 'square' before Man from U.N.C.L.E made them hip and cool. Technically, man bags evolved from doop kits, so, luggage. (I just don't use doop generally because I cannot guess who does and doesn't know the word. And it's too close to other words.)

[shy_magpie]

It's the attitude implied by a society that thinks a male nurse is suspect or that getting a manicure makes your sexuality suspect. The words themselves are illustrative of the time.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Oh, I know. Quantum Leap was always baiting at that line, like when Sam didn't even think twice about going into a hair salon and then had to deal with a mob boss "aggravated interrogation".

Secretary. Piece of furniture, man that uses that furniture, woman chased around the steno pool, person that runs the world.

Used to be movies would have scenes of the muscle grooming their hands while they loitered between dealing out beatings. Then nearly the same bit of business became a queen bee receptionist shirking her duties visual marker.