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I don’t know that you can say the same about the United States.Īlso, that they meddle, as River Tam has it in Serenity: Why did the Independents rebel? Well, the descriptions of the Union of Allied Planets is that they’re neglectful–they terraformed the planets, and recruited people to go there, but didn’t adequately supply them. Ok, but it’s in the Future! Ok, maybe that’s not much help, until we dig further. treatment of the Native Americans, so maybe that’s not helping either. Though the Chinese are now having problems with their treatment of the Uighurs, which parallels the U.S. Second, the government and culture is a combination of the United States and China. But this would seem to be a metaphorical extension of states–both close to and remote from the center of government–with travel between them being difficult, thus they are left somewhat to their own devices (and government). The Firefly Universe is not the United Statesįor one thing, it’s bigger–a whole bunch of terraformed planets and moons surrounding at least six stars. So let’s apply this thought to Firefly/ Serenity. I try to recognize that there are positive and negative ways of reading things, and the best jokes and texts, IMHO, are those that have the most positive readings, while avoiding the worst negative readings. They exist in a relationship with their audience, and different audiences bring different understandings to the table, and thus read the text differently. #Firefly serenity symbol meaning tvI try to point out potential problems with the joke, but also the potential problems with the responses and I try to imagine where and when the joke would have worked and what it could do.īasically, the idea is to recognize that texts like jokes and even TV shows aren’t closed systems, existing in a vacuum. ![]() I try to read the joke in multiple different ways. Instead, I try to recognize the possibilities…. We should also look at the differences between the Confederacy and the Independents, and try to avoid binary distinctions. So this further implies that he and the crew are for slavery–and if we support him, then perhaps we do too. We know that Mal just wants the freedom to “do his own thing,” and live as he pleases, which has always been a veiled defense of slavery, and misogyny, etc., etc. We like the plucky “Independents” and “Browncoats,” like Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), who lost, but “still wasn’t sure” he was on the wrong side. So that brings with it a BUNCH of connotations. And Whedon modeled his world on the Reconstruction era, but set in the future. It’s a well-known fact that Whedon’s inspiration for the show was the Pulitzer prize-winning Civil War novel, The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, which follows Union and Confederate soldiers during four days at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. There is a way to read this show as a nod to the Confederate States of America So in that vein, I thought I’d acknowledge the problematic elements of this show. Thirdly you must acknowledge other, even less favourable, interpretations of the media you like. Secondly, do not gloss over the issues or derail conversations about the problematic elements…. In this document, Rachel of the Social Justice League tells us there are three rules we have to follow:įirstly, acknowledge that the thing you like is problematic and do not attempt to make excuses for it…. ![]() #Firefly serenity symbol meaning how toLuckily, I have long known about a resource for people like me: How to be a Fan of Problematic Things. However, the critic in me can’t help but examining the premises of the show, and finding it a bit troubling. #Firefly serenity symbol meaning movieDon’t get me wrong, I love the TV show Firefly (2002), and the movie Serenity (2005), though I came to them late. Though it only ran one season, it has a HUGE cult following, and that drove the desire for the film. At the height of his career, Joss Whedon was enjoying the successes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and Angel (1994-2004) when he created Firefly. ![]()
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