This week I will try not to focus solely on Disney as a film producing company, but they will be involved since they demonstrate my point pretty well.

Perhaps if you are like me, you find the Villians in movies just as cool, if not more interesting, than the heroes. Sure, people like James Bond, Batman are cool, but Blofeld, The Joker, and Freddy Krueger are interesting, and deep. But, because cinema started in the early 1900s (and before) there have been some strange tropes (pigeonholes) given to movie villains, either consciously or not, and some are more subtle than others, and perhaps hold more ground on a rational basis.

For instance, people say Darth Vader is black and there is some level of racism to that. Which is nonsense. He is black because if he was all white, or all red, he would lack intimidation.

The early Batman villians were those “shifty eyed japs”, as dubbed in 1943, and “Birth of a Nation” is considered by some to be a racist movie as a whole.

But, that is not what this is about.

This is about the gay villain stereotype, and its one that I love, and think is awful at the same time. Let me explain.

Obviously, gay people are still “controversial” if you will. Some people feel the need to hate them, and that’s fine, they are wrong, but its fine. But back in the early mid 1900s, it was not as controversial. Gays were simply just considered wrong, the debate was not that important. So, when producers and writers wanted to make a character seem “evil, someone morally unjustified and someone people want to see punished” they turned to gay people. There was virtually no backlash from having a gay villain.

Now, villains were never said to be gay, only heavily implied. Look at “The Adventures of Robin Hood”      

He is the easiest early example, from 1938. His sexuality is never discussed, but he is described and depicted as a sissy, flamboyant, and he cheated his way to the throne. Then from what he wears compared to what everyone else wheres, he dresses alittle differently. He is “coded” as a gay man, because then the audience can hate him more.

But, old examples are a bit more blatent, and with a changing society you would assume we got rid of this stereotype and moved on to less hateful ways of depicting villians… but no.

Modern day. 

This dude. From “Pocahontas”. Can you hate someone more than Ratcliffe? Now, as im sure you didnt think but it helps me move the post along so i shall pretend,  “He isnt gay!”. BUT ON THE CONTRARY. He dresses in bright purple and gold, he has his manservant dress him, he desires gold, he has a perfectly trimmed goatee, he hates being dirty, and he wears pigtails in his hair. 2 of them. Before we hear him talk, we know he is the bad guy. Just from all those feminine and flamboyant things i just listed. And he is not the only Disney villain that is coded this way. Scar flays his paw around and hates woman, Ursula is a drag queen (litterally  http://anatomyofevil.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/divine-totally-looks-like-ursula.jpg)     and Ratigan is the epitome of everything i listed above.

One last example, the Hunger Games. I never read the books, but from the movies this is what the people from the capitol look like.

This is a gay pride parade. Those 2 above could fit in half the scenes from the movie and i wouldnt blink.

The point is, villains coded as gay has become a very strange trope. But, in all honesty, i really like it. I hate Ratcliffe, in all his glory, I do, i hate Gary Oldman in “Leon”, there is something about the trope that works, even if it is hateful. At the same time, it is teaching people something, albeit accidentally, about what they think. And it may accidentally be teaching people to hate those kinds of villians, or people.

I hate the term “civic issue”. For a few reasons, one, it lowers the realm of what you can talk about if you are taking it literally. It means within the town, and i do not have much interest on talking about local politics and government. That being said, i do have a much interest in national politics, and have since i was a kid. Politics is inherently fun because it is inherently idiotic.

Man, do i hate politics. It makes no sense, there are no “facts”, everyone disagrees and no one will admit they are wrong, even when every ounce of common sense proves they are.

Politics is enigmatic in the absolute worst-and best-way.

Which brings me to my first blog topic. Political philosophies. Namely, political parties. There is absolutely nothing more frustrating than when someone says “I’m a republican”, or “I’m a democrat”. Those words are never met with something that is going to be, or was, intelligent. Generally, when someone says “I’m a republican”, the conversation goes like this.

“Man, can you believe what that guy from ‘Duck Dynasty’ said?”

“I think everyone should have freedom of speech really, if he wants to say that, its his opinion and opinions aren’t wrong, its just what he thinks”.

“Okay… but you have to admit that was a pretty horrible thing to say”.

“I mean, i’m a republican so…. (more words that don’t matter”.

That may not seem too bad, just someone expressing their views in a poor manner. However, political parties have become so separate with nothing in the middle, that people just side with one and agree with viewpoints they do not ACTUALLY agree with. Democrats do this too. Political parties just want the money and do not really care about the voter, because if they did there would not be government shutdowns, and airports would have had all the lists of would-be terrorists, and laws would be passed.

Now, that is a claim, that political parties just want money. But in the last presidential election alone, over 2 billion dollars were spent. Thats one election, not counting the hundreds of small elections for congress and state government. The more money they have, the more influence they have on America and pushing their agenda, good or bad.

When there is only a 2 party system, views get phased out and into a certain side of a spectrum. People have to decide what means the most to them, and pick which side best represents that. Then, there is less cohesiveness to our political philosophy, and we blindly follow leaders to don’t really represent us.

However, the cynic i am, i also agree with the statement “the only thing dumber than a republican or a democrat, is when these pricks work together”. It is like when you have 2 infants watch each other because you want to go to the gym, and then being surprised when the kids eat all the chocolate and get sick.

I am very jaded when it comes to political parties, because i do not fit in one, and really, think that they serve little to no purpose. They make more money than imaginable, and have more back handed deals than the show Scandal. Just because I like Ron Paul, does not mean i have to accept Rand Paul as anything other than a system player.

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance