Live data from Hacker News

Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

bloodknife.com

651–660 of 699 posts

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#651
post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ones that have stuck in my head over the years have been Daywatch and Nightwatch, Leviathan, and How I Ended This Summer. I’m sure there’s a few more I can’t remember right now. (I highly recommend all of those...)

Oh, sure, the former two are very nice. You might like https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376968/ The Return and it sequel, The Banishment https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488905/ They are sort of 'harder' than the 'How I Ended This Summer'. Unfortunately, 2010-s didn't deliver much.

Thanks, I’ll add those to my queue.

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#652

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an anecdote from my student life. One of my colleagues told me how all the girls in the class (including her) are going out of their mind for the chubby, average looking teaching assistant and how he's "very sexy". He wasn't even particularly nerdy, nor well-dressed, humorous or well-spoken (since those might be quirky or well-regarded behaviours that can be considered "sexy" too): to me, he was decidedly ave…

Some of my university professors and assistants were too nerdy or decrepit to be sexy, but most were smart, interesting people that students listened to attentively for hours and found attractive beyond their moderately plain appearance. There were several couples (and triangles) among faculty, evidence that they made a strong impression on each other too.

I wasn't at all focusing on appearance: thus my mention of "decidedly average in any way I'd look at him" (this includes how smart they appeared to be). Your professors/assistants were obviously "well spoken" if they could keep their students' attention for hours, and I had such professors/assistants too.

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#653
post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I meant more from a cultural perspective than a purely behavioural one. Just curious if there are some obvious cultural differences which contribute to being brought up with nudity being more normalized.

For Scandinavia, some things come to mind. Most TV shows and movies have sex scenes. The people having sex are always very average looking. Sex scenes are usually not sexy or romantic but just chaotic and awkward, and very every-day-lifey. Like a middle aged couple having sex in the bedroom and their 5 year old kid opens the door and one of them is chocked and falls out of the bed and breaks a finger. They have to dr…

I really wish scandis did film classification for us. I really don’t care about my kids seeing nudity or sex scenes ( they self censor anyway!) but I really hate it that PG or even U rated films and games can have a body count in the thousands and hint as sadism and torture. The Anglo world is so weird on this and I really think we have our taboos backwards.

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#654
post #27

This was a fun read, especially as someone who grew up with those 80s and 90s movies. That said, and as the author touches on, the action/super hero of today is a PG-13 one. Studios need to reach the widest audience possible to make the most money, so it's a safer bet. Sure, back in the day studios had the same imperative, but the licensed toy game was still young, so they didn't realise that maybe if they made Die H…

The History of Sexuality (French: L'Histoire de la sexualité) is a four-volume study of sexuality in the Western world by the French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault, in which the author examines the emergence of "sexuality" as a discursive object and separate sphere of life and argues that the notion that every individual has a sexuality is a relatively recent development in Western societies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_History_of_Sexuality

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#655
post #503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think this is an accurate summary of certain conservative or puritanical stances on sexuality. Of course there are also decades of progressive literature that argue why this is essentially bullshit. Those ideas served civilization for thousands of years. But after just two generations of “progressive literature” western countries have literally ceased to be self-sustaining, becoming reliant on importing the next…

> Those ideas served civilization for thousands of years. Civilisation also had wars and famines for thousands of years to manage population and "cull off the weak". Do you want to go back to that? > western countries have literally ceased to be self-sustaining, becoming reliant on importing the next generation from conservative Latin (in North America) and Muslim (in Europe) countries. Victory! And yet the same peop…

I don't get it. You're saying now that without no-fault divorces, free love, nudity in movies etc, we would have more war and famine?

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#656

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Certainly not, but I'm pretty sure that, in order to be successfully polyamorous, one would need to be extremely loving and accepting. If they were that loving, they would have sufficed with less-amorous... It's because they're not that loving to any single person (but instead all about the quick gratification) that they look to expand their variety...

with all due respect, have you ever talked with a poly person or known one?

Yes. And all stories I know ended up badly.

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to serve coffee... or apply application hotfixes (stuff more typically "administrators" or "ops")... but at my pay rate? I'd do it and question why I'm getting paid $$$$$ to do something that $ can do.

If your boss is the sort of person who would serve coffee to the team you're probably fine cowtowing in this way. Otherwise, I think you risk being tainted in their eyes. They might see the others at the meeting as superior, wrt the role of programmer (etc.); and unconsciously associate you with less technical work. I think you risk "why are we paying $$$$$, isn't that the guy who serves the coffee" even if it's subc…

I think this plays a funny parallel to SNL in 15/16 with Trump and Hillary... Trump played President on the show and Hillary played a bartender. (I may be off slightly on details, but the idea is there - perception is reality).

But my attitude is more along the lines of "I'll do what it takes to get the job done" and that attitude comes from my veteran experience - there was no shortage of times where the NCOs (mid level enlisted) would get "dirty" when a job has to get done...

You can see it as "why is that person relegated to nothing duties"... I see it as "that guy is part of the team and will get the job done, no matter what".

I do get your point and can see how "office politics" can spin things that way.

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#658

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have a look at Cindy Gallop's Make Love Not Porn https://makelovenotporn.tv/ - it's been going for a few years now. It's kind of what you describe. It's like pornhub's "home" videos idea but a 1000 times better - actually curated, personal and real. Haven't followed them recently but at the beginning they actually organised camera setups for people who wanted to be featured.

Thank you so much for recommending us! MakeLoveNotPorn is 'Pro-sex. Pro-porn. Pro-knowing the difference.' We're pioneering the whole new category of social sex (what Facebook would be if Facebook allowed us to socially sexually self-express). If porn is the Hollywood movie, we're the real world documentary :) Our mission and manifesto is here: https://socialsexrevolution.com/

Great to see you around here. Love your work!

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#659

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The worst example of sex in film has to be the sex scene in the Matrix trilogy. Easily the most boring two minutes of the whole thing. They didn't even show it going in so what's the point

My understanding (and it’s been awhile) is that the choice Neo made by going with Trinity and being alone with her instead of the group was a crucial moment which foreshadows his decision to save Trinity instead of fulfill his duty to as “the one” to reboot the matrix.

[deleted]

Re: Modern action films fetishize the body even as they desexualize it

#660
post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct. But a movie about incest, rape or pedophilia would probably not quality. « Oh you got a les cousins dangereux dolls honey. So cute »

Most R movies have no incest, rape, or pedophilia, so I don't understand the point of your comment.

Oh I’m sorry then, It’s irrelevant indeed. I assume R was anything except pornography.
Post reply on HN