Steven Universe is excellent in showing the damage that violence can do. Rose orchestrated a war to save the Earth but left thousands of Gems corrupted and damaged Homeworld. Steven as her son must deal with the mess left behind. Violence created the Cluster Steven had to talk to it. Violence gave the Crystal Gems PSTD Steven has to be a counselor. The supposed shattering led to events that created the corruption of almost every living Gem.
Adventure Time did something pretty interesting with the whole "violence vs peace" thing that kid's shows tend to fall into. It didn't fall into either of those categories yet it didn't exactly do what Steven Universe did. It had the main character grow up throughout the series, both physically and emotionally. We see Finn, the main character, change from a hyperactive violence loving kid into a more reserved, cautious almost-adult. He isn't necessarily less violent, as he still fights and kills, but he's a lot more likely to step back and ask if it's necessary. It's pretty interesting. He starts the series punching, slicing, and literally killing anything and everything he deems as "evil" and ends the series adamantly trying to prevent a war.
Fandom Musings Given what a dilapidated wreck Homeworld is shown to be, I think it's likely the conflict will have something to do with how Gemkind risks dying off if they don't get resources from planets like Earth. That's not something Steven could easily find a solution to.
Fandom Musings Well, that’s what Crystal Clear talked about a few weeks back. Steven can talk, and he can convince. His powers are not so much his shield or floating, or healing spit, but his compassion and his ability to soothe and befriend those who will listen. White is the perfect antagonist, from what we have seen. She does not listen. She does not care. She literally sends Steven to his room after she is done patronising him. She lacks the fundamental humanity which gives rise to weakness in Steven’s previous foes. This lack of humanity is seen in other characters too, like Aquamarine or even Navey. Steven never neutralised the threat of Aquamarine. He couldn’t have done, and in that case violence was not the answer either, as Aquamarine’s wand was basically just really overpowered. I feel like WD will be Aquamarine or Navey on steroids.
Legit, that part makes me curious abt the upcoming Diamond Days arc (crazy as the scheduling for it is - what the actual fuck, CN?). I mean, on the one hand we all assumed The Cluster was going to be defeated bc reshattering and look how that played out. On the other, I have a very difficult time imagining how WD is going to be handled, even as much as I trust Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the crewniverse.
Hunter x Hunter is another great example of the first half of this video. Despite the show being primarily about fighting and violence (it's a shonen manga by Jump), the characters very rarely solve their problems through the use of violence. Violence might play a part in the solution, but only two out of six arcs have been solved through direct confrontation with an enemy, one of which was a tournament arc where the actual stakes of the ending fight were less lethal or game changing than normal. Every other occasion has them either talking their problems out and coming to a peaceful solution or something fundamentally changing the nature of relationships or the world that makes violence no longer a viable strategy to deal with their issues. There's even multiple points where violence is framed as the wrong choice to make, and when a character does choose the violent path, it's treated as a tragic moment for that character with deep consequences. If you haven't watched it yet, you should. It's a very thorough deconstruction of the genre by one of the best authors to ever write in the genre (Togashi did Yu Yu Hakusho first) with much deeper and richer world building than you'd expect to find in something like this. Gon and Killua are also boyfriends, so it's gay, too.
Excellent analysis. I think the best word to describe Steven Universe's attitude to violence is _pacificism_ rather than pacifism. While pacifism is the view that all violence (or at least all killing) is wrong, no matter what, pacificism is the view that violence is best avoided unless the result would be more harmed caused. As an ethos, it bends more towards pacifism than militarism, but doesn't categorically condemn all violence in all circumstances. As a side note, this issue of the ethics of violence is frequently complicated by whether one is talking specifically about killing people, or any kind of action which may result in physical harm, even if the result isn't lethal. When this or that political tendency condemns another by accusing them of partaking in "violence", that often carries the implication that what they're doing is as bad as killing people, even if all they're committing is property damage or street fighting. Because the word violence can be used to cover both, merely physical acts are lumped together with _lethal_ acts when they're worlds apart.
With Steven/Rose/Pink, it's a king facing other kings. A leader facing other leaders. That's the new problem. If anything, his family is also his supportive underlings.
Tbh, the part where Bismuth tells Steven to make use of his privilege in the Homeworld court mirrors how *some* people within *some* political movements would go so far as to use some of their more privileged members as a sort of political meat shield to ensure an unquestioned representative presence within the field of politics. It doesn't help that Steven is literally just a kid and Bismuth just put all that weight on his shoulders.
Some Rando Filipino - it makes me think of how minorities need the majority to speak up and acknowledge racism in their communities and fight for civil rights. We need a white Martin Luther king.
The idea that you can defeat a villain by "going beyond your limit" - totally acceptable The idea that you can form a mech the size of a galaxy to fight your enemy - totally cool The idea you can fight continuously for years with no permanent damage to your body - makes sense The idea that you can reason with people instead of fighting them - ludicrous
@@MazoDragon See but you're starting with the assumption that they won't care no matter what. Even if it doesn't work out, it's not ludicrous to try diplomacy first.
Justice League Unlimited's finale did this well. Lex Luthor was able to convince Darkseid to teleport to the source wall via the anti-life equation and thus bring peace to Earth. And when they WERE fighting Darkseid before, it was necessary.
Loved the video I hold some of the same logic about the show and am happy that you delivered your thoughts and opinions affectively without being toxic
I love this video so much! Thank you for looking into this topic. When you mentioned the Percy Jackson movie, it gave me horrible flashbacks of how crappy that was.
My only comment that rose’s war was a terrible use of violence to solve a problem. Thus it shows an example of poor use of violence to solve a problem.
I've never understood why superhero shows say killing is crossing a line yet the heroes are fine causing other forms of serious permanent damage to their foes. Or they just passively let a villain die who they could have saved. That's still a type of killing that's just not direct.
I love how this video gives me a deeper understanding of a show that has already given me a deeper understanding of social issues and stuff! ...Just wish the subtitles were more accessible - I wasn’t in a situation where I could watch this vid at volume, but “clip of Bismuth talking” or whatev doesn’t help me know WHAT she’s saying, particularly since those quotes were chosen to emphasise a point. Just my two cents *shrug*
@@viraltang there's no need to be like this my dude? I'm expressing how much I like the show and you're saying that the writing is bullshit. Why not just like make your own comment?
Deku's dream wasnt to beat up bad guys, it was to be a hero. Being a hero doesn't necessarilu mean all you so is beat up some jerks. It means you're a person that saves, protects, and helps a citizen in need. Deku didn't want to be a hero for the fights. He wanted to be a hero just like allmight who reassures and helps people as the symbol of peace. I know this wasn't the point of the video. I'm sorry 😄. I just wanted to clarify something.
Tied in with this I think is the perspective this show brings to colonialism. Pink/Rose was Europe circa 1500s up through the present day. And then Rose was descendents of colonizers wanting to undo what colonialism is, certainly a better approach than the folks who call colonialism good or a non-issue, but Rose still couldn't have come up with a solution. Steven can a little more because he's mixed. He is a human alongside the privilege he has as a diamond. He is colonizer and native. And I think Rebecca Sugar and the crew are distinctly aware of this side and can throw out some valuable thinking not just for kids but for everyone on this question of how do we address the legacy of colonialism
Just an FYI, in Percy Jackson universe you can't kill the monsters. Even when you "kill" them, they always reform, and I feel like that casts the violence against the monsters in a different light. Also, the blades that hurt monsters pass through humans without harming them. Not sure if that was covered in the movies, though... otherwise, great video! I like all the points you made about violence in kid's media.
Hmmm this is an interesting video but there's an element that is a bit glossed over which is the element of self defense and the incitement of the violence. Granted that wasn't the point of this video specifically but it's an element that I think should be addressed in a general discussion of violence. Since in the more common application in shows for children the aim of the heroes is almost always to subdue the villain or to defend themselves from the villain who would kill if given an opportunity. It could still be perceived as a perpetuation of a might makes right mindset but it's not always through sheer brute force that the hero wins. Still it's an issue that is worth discussing
The show reminds me of X-Men a bit with it's approach to maintain peace somehow, but war just seems to be inevitable... Also, the humor is like the original Teen Titans a bit.
What are the thoughts on the fact that the Gem race seems way too over-engineered towards being a conquesting army, even at the highest levels? pretty sure you read that writing i did on tumblr, lol
Lol! Maybe. I read a lot on tumblr. I'm interested in seeing how the show (and how deeply the show) will explore the caste system and population control of homeworld now that we are spending significant time there.
I like the video! Real quick, though, I think you misunderstand Deku's motivations to become a hero. For one, All Might's primary signature isn't his punch, it is his smile and ability to reassure that once he is on the scene the people will be saved. Second would be the fact that we see that this is what Deku admires about All Might due to his favorite All Might video (that he watched a hundred times) being one without the use of violence but All Might giving his signature reassurance. Just a small nitpick but I really did like the video.
I...kinda want to have words about your comment on MHA because BOY is that a bad read, but this is some of the greatest commentary on SU I have ever seen so I'm willing to let it slide.
Honestly, that's probably the best take on Deku's initial goal there is, at least to me. That's specifically what Deku wants at the beginning of the series, since All Might's version of being the Symbol of Peace is to frighten evil into hiding using overwhelming power. The world they've constructed is one run by violence, which we see plainly in how heroes are forged through constant combat and spectacle for the sake of a public hungry to watch the never ending hero versus villain showdowns. Heroes aren't people who enforce the law or bring justice anymore, they're people who fight villains. Guys like Bakugo, an angry, abusive, shitty teen whose Quirk has virtually no use outside of wanton destruction and murder, can skyrocket in popularity among the public because he's tough and can blow shit up real good. Endeavor is the #2 hero in the world despite being just an awful, awful man. Mineta exists. And all three of these guys are also inspired by All Might in some way. That's kind of the point, though. It's why the show introduces people like Shinso, who desperately wants to be a hero but could never actually pass the practical exam because his Quirk can't be used to smash a robot into pieces. It's why some of Deku's greatest strides as a hero in training have been made not simply by punching things as hard as he can (in fact, he more often than not injures himself and ends up entirely helpless when he does that) but when he uses his abilities defensively to help himself and others escape harm, to the point where his most heroic moment to date wasn't simply beating the crap out of Muscular but inspiring Kota. We've been told several times now that Deku only becomes the hero he's meant to be when he stops simply trying to copy All Might. That's shown most literally in how he's recently started to use a kick-oriented fighting style rather than copy the punch-based Smash attacks, but I'd speculate it's going to have a lot to do with his philosophy and demeanor as a hero, too. There's no amount of punching that's going to make Shigaraki stop being evil, but maybe empathizing with him could do that. And if there's any hope of ending the cycle between the All for One and One for All holders, that would be how it happens.
+Anti-Mattering Exept you're forgetting something. The favorite video that inspired Deku to follow that path to be a hero isn't one where All Might is punching a bad guy real hard, it's one where he's seen saving a ton of people. Deku says it himself is goal is to become the greatest hero yes, so he can "Save as many people as he can with a smile on his face". What you're describing is interresting because the society in wich Hero aca is taking place does think a lot like that. And it's probably the state of mind in wich Bakugo is, punch stuff real hard and if it save some people then that's a good bonus. Bakugo was probably inspired by the violent side of All Might in contrast to Deku that was inspired by his saving skills. When you think about it there are truly 2 situations where Deku will fight someone: because it's part of the class course (tournament, exam etc) or to help someone in need. Maybe i'm misremembering but he never confront a villain when someone isn't in need of help and will most likely avoid a fight if said villain isn't an immediate threat to anybody (In the league attack at the end of season 1 he stays put for a long time and only rush into action when All Might need help.) He even does that for exams (saving Ochaco from the robot or Bakugo from All Might.) But, Hero aca does take place in a universe that reward violence and puts violent people on top like Endeavor. That's also one of the things Stain is denouncing when he say heroes have lost their ways and it's also why All Might and Deku have his respect because he knows they aren't following these violent guidelines despite having a quirk that basically allows you to punch really hard. So in my opinion Hero Aca have an interresting take on violence and it's use in Shonen (because it's hard to find a shonen without that kind of violence). Deku is raised in a society that seems to reward quick use of violence to just fight bad guys but so far he himself never used it when someone else's life wasn't on the line. His true heroic spirit doesn't come from the fact he wants to punch a lot of people, unlike Bakugo (who by the way, is rewarded for it) but rather from the fact he wish to save and protect as much people as he can. And he knows that for that he does have to know how to punch good. It's my take anyway, sorry for the wall of text ^^"
“Also the space rocks are gay...really gay.” Lmao Also Anime is not themed for kids PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND your 8 yr old Jiraiya’s death scene THEY WILL BE MORTIFIED
hey I'd just like to point out that you showed Naruto and I believe you should watch Shippuden. In it violence is only used when peaceful means fail the first Naruto doesn't even teach violence as being the end all be all. They're Ninjas it's part if their job to kill people. Also my hero academia also has violence being used when peaceful means fail. you can't stop all for one with a conversation he was a danger to society and needed to be defeated. Deku Also ways try and to find the best way out of a situation and if it must come to violence then he has not choice but to protect the ones he loves. With Dragonball this is also the case Goku refused to kill Vegeta even though krillian wanted to, knowing Vageta was no longer a treat he let him live. However Freeza was a monster who committed genocide on Goku's entire race and killed goku's friends. If Freeza were to live he would continue his violence on the innocent. Goku once again wanted to let Frezza live still, but it was Freeza with shattered pride, who ended up slicing himself in half with a destructo disk. I enjoy Steven Universe but I believe other "children's" shows and teen and young adult shows have the characters preforming violence when all else fails.
Good analysis, but I don't really agree with the privilege part. Because the Diamonds have what looks to be a psudeo family dynamic, it feels like that has more pull with Blue and Yellow than Steven's rank as a diamond. I.E. just because my aunt listens to me over my friends doesn't mean I have privilege.
It depends on who's perspective you might look from. From Steven's, it's not privilege. But from any other gem and, especially, humans, he's got more than they could ever hope for in situations that matter. It would be like if your aunt carried that bias into a work environment and didn't listen to your coworkers, unless you vouched for them.
his rank is a privilege give to him by his status as a diamond, seeing as he didn't earn his position as a diamond and it was assigned to him from birth.
Honestly I consider the fact that SU opted for a non-violent resolution with The Diamonds completely disgraceful. The Diamonds have gone above and beyond as far as villains go. The cast system, the human zoo, colonialism, at least two genocides, and creating a WMD are all things that go far beyond the Moral Event Horizon. Yet despite that they’re still extended a hand and it actually works? That approach essentially validates the people insisting that violence isn't the answer to combating the resurgence of fascism which is... wrong to say the least.
We don't know how SU will handle "The Diamonds," I'd argue. We've had 1 episode where they weren't actively and violently fighting and nothing with them is resolved yet.
Fandom Musings they forgave the cruel dictators who committed mass genocide and the fact that they just went “dictatorship over were family let’s be friends all is forgiven” even though they again committed mass genocide
If I am being honest though, Steven isn’t doing whats necessary. Like c’mon, instead of PD just taking earth, why not lead a coup against the other diammonds and become de facto ruler, why not use the breaking point. The reasons are all emotional but emotions are not good bases for decisions.
See my problem is not ever situation can be resolved by talking the fact Steven just talked the cruel dictators down is bs the show forgave the cruel dictators
They didn't forgive them. Maybe you think differently now that the movie was released, but it's pretty clear that they're treated as racist grandmas at best. I think you're confusing "not destroyed" with forgiveness. If Steven shattered them all it would've been the French Revolution all over again.
Sugar told kids killing a nazi make you a nazi I will never forget of forgive that. Also kids like violence hell they need it and there are so few action shows left anymore.
I take issue with your definition of privilege, partly because it justifies violence from those without privilege but also because it misrepresentative and vague. Like if Rose and pink were two separate entities then Rose shattering Pink and Bizmuth's hatred of the Matriarchy are totally justified. Your definition is vague enough that you could include any kind of Royalty, Nobility, and or anyone found on the top of a power hierarchy's. For instance by your definition Jasper could be considered as privileged. I believe you're right about this being nuanced. Bizmuth said it best describing the Diamonds as a pride of lions because they share that same sort of nobility.
@@fandommusings5302 no, her "privilege" is an accreditation to her skill as a warrior. Like how when peridot and pearl had their Technological Decathlon. Peri was shown to be the better technician, if only marginally, and expected praise for her victory and was mistaken. By your definition peridot is privileged and yet she didn't receive what she expected. Privilege based on skill or natural talent isn't a privilege it's an exception. As in; Jasper is an exceptional warrior, peridot is an exceptional techy, Bizmuth is an exceptional Black Smith, Pearl is an exceptional knight, ect. Ect. Now you could say royalty is a privilege that others place on you but considering how Pink was shut down by the other dismiss despite being privileged is a testimony to how much it most likely won't matter. And so then there's nobility; being better than your past self. There is no doubt that Steven is a better person than pink/rose was, the question is whether that'll matter to white diamond. Or even if that's how Steven will handle his new situation. Steven does have Greg's alien magnetism which isn't a privilege, it's a curse...lol
I'm looking forward to the show being rebooted in 15 to 20 years, and the inevitable Deluge of fans of the older show going off about how the new show has been taken over and ruined by the sjws. Because that's exactly what would happen, zero doubt.
I'm pretty ppl are already aware of Rebecca Sugar's politics. E;R made a video specifically about everything wrong about SU on writing and sociopolitical standpoint. Besides, if the show does get rebooted, it would most likely lean harder to the left than its predecessor did. By that time, the newer norms of today have been instilled in our youth, and they would most likely complain about how the new show went against the values of the older show and is going too far in their political themes.
@@TheDanishGuyReviews The joke is that people say things are getting too political for a series in later renditions, even if the original was explicitly political.
@@samwallaceart288 well, the plotting in the show is great, despite some pacing issues that people blow out of proportion, and while the character animation is mediocre, and the characters aren't always drawn the best, the art direction is fantastic, especially when it comes to the use of colors and the way the backgrounds are styled. Not to mention, both the background music and the voice acting are excellent. You can debate how well plot at the show has been as of late, and I will certainly be on the side of Defending it, but you cannot argue that any of those other elements have gotten worse in any way.
The art direction is fine, but that’s not really Sugar’s primary concern as showrunner. My issue with the show is that the plot doesn’t function properly because the necessary exposition was not laid down; which means that they have to pull explanation out of nowhere when it’s needed for the immediate story. The problem with this is that it robs the show of its stakes, because, one, we the audience don’t know ahead of time what the actual stakes are, and two, the writers are no longer culpable when they write in a deus ex machina, which they have, twice in a major way. What this boils down to is that an alarming amount of the show’s narrative is only the impression of a story; one that is fleshed out in the audience’s head; the tension is only there if you, the audience, imagines the tension. And at that point, the audience is doing half the writer’s work for them. A lot of this would be solved if the protagonist, Steven, was more active and curious about his own story. We should have found out the exact timeline of the Gem Rebellion and Rose’s supposed role in it by Season 1, at the latest. As it stands, Steven is only asking the most basic of questions about the stakes of his actions 5 seasons into the show. That’d be like if Luke Skywalker only asked what The Jedi Order is halfway into Episode 6.
We know enough to understand what is happening, there have never been any deus ex machinas, or at least none that affect the main plot, every plot point is set up ahead of time, and it's better to reveal information over the course of the story then to reveal it as soon as possible, as it builds mystery. I would understand your criticism if this show was a space opera with a major focus on homeworld, but it isn't. The focus is on Steven and his life, and how the gem stuff affects him, and not on the gem stuff itself, so it's ok that we don't know everything right away, as long as we know enough to understand his experiences.
Fandom Musings although there are SJW ideals present, they don’t really force it down. Garnets relationship being the most obvious doesn’t phase me at all. It all makes sense with the story. It’s not like ruby and sapphire just love each other, they have a relationship spanning thousands of years. I know the SJW things are there, but I chose not to focus much on them or make a big deal about it
Steven universe is super bland... the action scenes outside if ocean gem are super boring because you already know how it's gonna end. Steven is gonna cry or do a sappy bootleg talk no Jutsu. of course non-violence can be done right but SU just uses it poorly.
Privilege? Seriously? That's not privilege, that's connections, in this case family connections. When the diamonds realized steven was actually pink (without really understanding how any of that worked) they immediately stopped fighting because they believed he was someone they cared about. In other words they stopped because he was a specific individual, not because he was a member of a group/race/whatever. That's just silly. Also it sounds like at the end you're justifying the use of violence as long as someone isn't "privileged" because that's the "only way", but that's hardly reason to justify violence and even people without this so called "privilege" can solve problems without the use of violence. Just my thoughts.
SaiyaMAN007 while you’re welcome to not use privilege to analyze this I do think it’s valid to use the word privilege. For example familial relationships often do have a level of privilege especially if that family has i high amount of political power ie. A dynasty, royal family and such. It’s important to remember having privilege isn’t inherently negative it’s just an understanding of power dynamics. With that being understood she’s highlighting how in some circumstances using that privilege can be an alternative to fighting and in a lot of cases unprivileged people may not have that option for example how do you get your ideas heard if the powers at be refuse to listen. I see no better example than the American Revolution “Taxation without representation” is people using violence in a effort to undue their lack of a voice and that violence isn’t always wrong.
i feel like you're forgetting the context that the 'specific individual' the diamonds think steven is was one of the 4 absolute rulers of their society. like yeah, while family relationships aren't always privilege, they most certainly are when being part of said family gives you a higher social standing and a much more favorable position than anyone outside of it.
His family connection is literally like being the grandson of the queen of England. You can’t deny there are benefits (privilege) when the family is that powerful.
I have only seen like an episode of this show (if that) so I can't really speak for it but from what I've seen on Tumblr the show seemed to.... really go down hill lets just say. Like they can be really tone death at times. And they seem to have an obvious perference to their white/white coded characters (people say Pearl has a lot more development than the other two and is easily forgiven for a lot of the bad stuff that she does). Like I said, have not seen much of the show and don't really plan to due to what I have seen on Tumblr and I don't know who they have on their writing team but it seems they need more diversity in whoever's working on the show. That does not mean the show has not done good stuff and it's far from the worst thing out there but they have done a lot of side eye worthy things.
Your problem is that you're listening to a bunch of people with a heavily biased agenda of shitting on a progressive children's show rather than watching it for yourself and forming your own opinions. The points these people make are rarely as bad as they claim them to be and are usually taken wildly out of context or exaggerated to the point of absurdity in an effort to essentially smear the show and its creators because it doesn't meet the latest shift of the goalposts that qualifies as good content. For example, Pearl is not white and there's only a small handful of white characters in the show itself, almost all of them either supporting or background characters. Her voice actress is Filipino and her character is often framed around cultural signifiers that relate to Asian (specifically Japanese) themes. Her character arc involves coping with the "death" of the person she loved which, in terms of her species' relative immortality and the extremely long amount of time she's been alive, happened essentially a year or two ago from her perspective. The complaints about her character are often a result of people being upset that someone who is heavily traumatized doesn't always make rational or mature decisions, with virtually every instance of such having her realize her mistakes by the end of the episode or dealing with the consequences of her actions across a story arc. The claim that Pearl receives "more development" than the other core Crystal Gems is...unfounded, at least in my opinion, and seems to be influenced by her position in the plot, sort of akin to someone complaining, "Why's this Dick Grayson kid know so much about Batman and Wayne Enterprises? They keep bringing him out here to explain stuff and contribute to the story in ways Aqualad and Kid Flash wouldn't be able to. God, such a Mary Sue!" Whether things have been mishandled at times is another issue entirely and is largely influenced by the abysmal way in which the show is produced and distributed by Cartoon Network, with months or years long hiatuses that leave story threads dangling for much longer than intended. As a result, the team has been forced to cope by abridging certain arcs and major events into five episode "Steven Bombs" which sometimes run the risk of clipping major plot points in ways that harm the overall integrity of the story being told. While Steven Universe has its problems, so does every other show on the planet. Singling it out as uniquely terrible is laughable given both its content and the people working behind the screen (spoiler alert: it is not only white people as I believe is being implied). I'd encourage you to form your own opinions on the show instead of listening to the dubious claims of people on a blogging website known for ignoring context, nuance, and critical thinking in its analysis of media. If you find you hate the show after watching it yourself, that's your prerogative, but it will at least be your opinion at that point.
SU does have its flaws, but its not as bad as some of the more extreme voices of tumblr seem to believe. The show suffers from a poor distribution schedule, which makes the pacing amd character development feel worse than it is.
Fandom Musings I do agree some people have been taking it to the extreme and probably just jumped the hate train, but I do think some of the fans underplay the problems and cast them as minimal, when in fact it does have some major problems. Sometimes it's just a double edged sword thing that it might have good intent but some people will take it to mean something else, like the whole Bismuth thing. Or the fact that the smaller more feminine characters are seen as more tragic and redeemable then the bigger more masculine characters. Anyway love your stuff. Anti-Mattering OK, first off, I did have the disclaimer that I did not watch the show, and I still don't plan to cause I'm just not interested and I don't like Suger's writing in general (I have watched some of her past stuff). And I'm not gonna read all that cause it's not worth it and it just seems like your angry cause people have some genuine criticisms of the show. Yes, I know some people have shitty criticisms but I don't think it's an "agenda" since people talk about how tone-death it is. I don't think you understand how aggressive some fans of the show are and are against all criticism in general and just because the show is generally progressive does not mean it can't have some genuine REALLY BAD stuff in it. And even if you don't consider Pearl white coded does not mean that others don't. I know for a fact a lot of white females flock to her more than any other character (except maybe Lapis). And a lot of them end up being really racist. Yes I know she is coded as being mentally ill, but she also emotionally abuses multiple people and the show just barely addresses it. Some, like Connie and Steven, literally children. And when they address it they usually make it about her, not the actual victims. I'm actually a lot better at knowing the difference between valid criticisms and "this show is not doing actually what I want it to do so it sucks" or ""this show has a tiny flaw so now the whole show sucks" then you seem to think. I never said the show was terrible, just has A LOT of flaws and some side eye worthy politics that they need to address or fix and maybe add a bit more diversity to the writing staff. And yes maybe I should at least watch the episodes that people say are "problematic" to form my own conclusions but even if I disagree it's a good idea to at least consider why people might think that and not just consider them "wrong" just because I disagree because I have my own biases. Cause sometimes people might have a point.
watch it for yourself, trust me this is the sort of show where what you experience while watching varies manly thanks to personal experience. And tumblr is as bad as 4chan in this kinda of stuff to be honest
@@kayg6090 The fact that you don't watch it is showing in your detailed criticisms. Don't take that as an insult or a command that you need to watch it, there's just a reason some of those issues seem as deep as they do, especially without context of the episodes and later details. Pearl is abusive at multiple points in the show, a lot of people are. The show usually makes a point that it's either not intended, or rooted in real problems that character is experiencing. That doesn't mean they don't pay attention to the victims, nor does it mean they're forgiving the abuser. The whole thing about the show dismissing their masculine characters while sympathizing with the feminine ones is actually false, especially if you want to count Garnet/Ruby/Amethyst as more masculine. Most of the tone deaf problems arise within the human cast or due to improper pacing. Topaz is the victim of Aquamarine, the latter of which is exceedingly more feminine. Topaz is represented as well intentioned and seeking to even listen to humans, which many gems blatantly ignore as if they don't understand them. All the other amethysts are shown as more humane than their feminine leader, Holly Blue Agate. Everyone understood and immediately forgave Bismuth because they too believed she was right, only Steven rejected her philosophy, and that's because he was misinformed about the nature of the gem war. Heck, even Yellow Diamond is represented as simply misunderstood. The only butch character seen as mostly irredeemable is Jasper, and that's because she accepts her place as a weapon. Yet she too is misunderstood and is accepted, though too late, by Amethyst and Steven. Steven's must traumatic memories are tied to his sympathy for the butch characters. As for Pearl, nobody forgives her for being abusive. There's a whole arc dedicated to that fact. Garnet is emotionally manipulated by her, and she still hasn't forgiven her. She simply tells her to improve and to stop finding excuses for her behavior. It was one of the first multi-episode character arcs. For Connie and Steven, she never physically abuses them (not in the situation people are probably referencing). She is projecting her situation onto Connie based on her trauma in an effort to both make Connie stronger, as well as to protect Steven. They educate Pearl as to why that doesn't work. Given the fact that she's an immortal servile drone alien, this makes sense. She's never dealt with children before. After which, and even before which, she's one of the most protective people in Steven's life. The show doesn't forgive people, in puts them through situations that force them to grow as people. Most misconceptions come from the poor pacing, so this reviews of situations can be flawed as more information comes out.
