I sang a song of John Crichton

[rabid1st]

And was so moved by my own lyrical spot-on-ness that I decided to repost it here for you all.

John Crichton isn't male. John Crichton is human.

Now we could start a long philosophical discussion on why "human" in today's Eurocentric cultures is represented by 'Good Ol' boy' attitudes...but then we might miss the joke of John Crichton.

John is lovable because he doesn't know his ass from his elbow. He's out there in space, completely out of his league and he's going on bravado. The joke is he's impressing nobody and the deeper joke is...he knows it. Even when he wins one it's considered a fluke. Because humans, represented this way (think Alien or Starship Troopers or...well...any masculine centered Sci-Fi ideal) aren't very impressive.

Oh, yes! We can suspend belief but in the real big scary world, Ripley would have been toast. We are, when compared to the vast universe, small, weak and feeble-minded.

But...we like to think we would kick butt.

What makes Farscape the best Sci-Fi show ever is they wallow in humanities frailities.

John Crichton is us...he likes to think he can kick butt even though he is scared out of his mind, lost and lonely and knows he is going to get kicked instead...he loves where there is no hope...he hopes where there is no chance...and when...against all odds he kicks butt...we have to feel proud of him.

**SNIFF**I do so love that show!

Comments

[thisficklemob.livejournal.com]

Yup. In a similar vein, I saw "Graduation Day" rerun today on FX, and I realized... I found it far more empowering than "Chosen." Because in GD I would have been one of the fighters. Not one of the big boys standing with Angel and Wesley, but maybe shooting a bow and arrow, or simply charging down the steps to face the embodiment of all that had haunted and hunted my adolescence. Hey, I might even have been vamp chow. Doesn't matter. I would have been there.

In "Chosen," I never would have been one of the select, elite, destined. Like I said then... I was the chubby girl with glasses sitting on the bench behind the girl who got all the supernatural power. And more importantly, so was everybody. Mary Sueish pretensions aside, 99.99% of the female audience in a world with Slayers would not be Potentials, would not have been called. And there are no Slayers in this world... so how is adding mere physical power to a select few in fantasy sending an empowering message to the rest of us? Empowering would have been a kid gaining confidence at the plate through practice and encouragement. Empowering is Tina Turner fighting back, not... Supergirl fighting back.

Bah.

And...I got S7 for Christmas...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...and it still sucks beyond the telling of it. And...to add insult to injury...they have Spike everywhere on the case. Not that he doesn't belong there...not that he doesn't look good next to his girl. But they have his Touched quote about Buffy being "The One" and "One helluva woman" superimposed over a picture of the Angel smooch. Ick! Argh! Eeek! Rabid does the dance of the maiden with a mouse up her pant leg.

Ichnobate will be better. It is shaping up.

Happy New Year,
Rae