The Human Trampoline

jackiekashian:

So… I think I figured out what really bugs me about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I lost it today while recording the soon-to-be-out ep of Comedy Film Nerd’s Podcast: http://comedyfilmnerds.com/

I read the books by accident. (I ran out of books to read on the road and my friend, Jenny Bergman, offered me the Twilight Series or the Dragon Tattoo series to read). I do a long (yet funny ;) heh… bit about it on stage.

Today on the CFN pod we discussed the movie and Chris really liked it. He’s read the books and seen the initial three Swedish movies and now the first of the American. I got heated about it. Because the, most popular, opinion about the story is that it’s “feminist” and “empowering to women.” And I have never thought so. And I finally figured out why.

I’m a dork. Nerd. Geek. Whatever. So I read a lot of superhero/sci fi/speculative fiction. This was sold to me as “she’s a hero; she gets revenge on the bad guys who tortured her as a foster kid.” Yeah. No heroes do that. They always PASS on revenge. That’s what makes them heroes. They are offered revenge and they rise above it.

Every woman I’ve ever known that has had a terrible sexual encounter, shall we say… the way they’ve “overcome” it is never through castration and torture. The real triumphant women who go through things like this is to learn to let go of the fear and anger enough to LET a good guy be in your life. It’s not easy, after being tortured sexually, to have sex with a good man. To love or let someone love you (or, hell, be nice to you).

It feels like the Dragon Tattoo books are come from a very masculine solution. Not all men or anything like that. I’m using the word masculine academically. Someone hurts you, you retaliate. But even in the hero world of fiction – the truly good guys choose the high road. They learn to move on and trust again. That’s a hell of a story.

And, hell, I’m not saying that the acting/directing/cinematography isn’t above average and great. And the action scenes are perfectly compelling. But I can’t help but think of Steig Laarson sitting in his room, writing extensive. Graphic. Rape scenes with a child. And then an adult. Without thinking. What a fucking creep. I, seriously, picture him with a giant hard on. And then, publically, saying, “I’m a feminist.” THAT is what makes me hate those books/movies. And I say… rape that book.

 

Audience member at Acme in Minneapolis asked me to sign their copy of this book (which she had in her BAG and I had just worked on that bit!) Jan 24, 2012 

14 February 2012 ·

• Tags
• girl with the dragon tattoo
• jackie kashian
• misogyny