August 11, 2011   27 notes

Larry David, Feminist Hero?

silentpunk:

This is an okay article. But it attempts to set the character Larry David apart from the writer Larry David as if the character could possibly be more feminist than the writer, true it’s not just Larry that writes Curb so it’s possible there’s someone else pulling the strings but what I really like about the Larry David character is that he isn’t written in a way that sucks up to men and tries to curry their favour. No laddish in-jokes are added or stereotypes or myths perpetuated for cheap laughs (this is precisely the reason I could not continue watching it’s always sunny in Philidelphia) and when the characters do act in a sexist way they are often punished, this means the writers, incl. Larry David IRL actively avoid these traps by making Larry unbiased and pally with women. He is a fool but is not foolishly sexist, I hate the ‘foolishly sexist’ characters who supposedly are sexist because they can’t help it (cos it’s a minefield right?) rather than sexist because of malice, superiority or willful ignorance. He’s sort of foolishly unsexist.

This is also why I like Flight of the Conchords, it’s pretty obvious that the writers are feminist  but the characters of Brett and Jermaine are clueless inadvertant feminists because they have no desire to impress ‘the boys’ (or the men in the audience) and meet aggressive masculinity with passivity (UNLIKE it’s always sunny in Philidelphia.)

I’m not entirely sure I agree, because I have VERY STRONG [mostly unfounded, touchy-feely] NEGATIVE FEELINGS about Larry David, but this is interesting nonetheless. 

I have to say though, I kind of value silentpunk’s commentary more than the the article itself.  The argument that “somewhere amid the solipsism and general buffoonery there is a man who treats women’s bodies and issues with a level of maturity, respect and a rather refreshing matter-of-factness rarely seen on television” is a little tedious.   Especially since many of the comments are praising his sometimes-bigotry as “equal-opportunity offensive” which is the worst. 

Take, for example, this comment argues that Larry David is not ableist because he once wrote an episode wherein he got mad at a bunch of “mentally challenged dudes” but it was okay because he was mad at them for other stuff!  Like cheating!  Which, fine, it’s cool to have people of all ability levels shown as “normal” on television, but are we really to the point where we’re all gathering to congratulate an obnoxious old white dude for not making fun of people with disabilities?  Is it really that progressive to write jokes about how it is so hilarious and improbable that you don’t even ~see~ people’s disability?  I mean, what is that?  Mind you, I haven’t seen the episode—feel free to clarify—but that just sounds fucking ridiculous.

I’m not really saying he isn’t feminist.  It’s just that if we, as women and as feminists, are gonna go around crowning all dudes who are only mildly sexist or who treat us as human beings as ~Our Feminist Hero!~ then I say abort! abandon mission! immediately.  I don’t want any part of that.

I’m just so sick of having to constantly congratulate men for not being total misogynists.  But whatever, that’s just me.  Does anyone who can actually stomach Curb want to submit some comments on the ways that it is or is not sexist?

-RGR

(Source: rebeccared)

  1. larosson reblogged this from feministfilm
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  3. feministfilm reblogged this from silentpunk and added:
    I’m not entirely sure I agree, because I have VERY STRONG [mostly unfounded, touchy-feely] NEGATIVE FEELINGS about Larry...
  4. silentpunk reblogged this from loveyourrebellion and added:
    This is an okay article. But it attempts to set the character Larry David apart from the writer Larry David as if the...
  5. loveyourrebellion reblogged this from rebeccared
  6. rebeccared posted this