As Much As I Want To Celebrate And Cheer The Dora Milaje For Kicking Some Stupid Asses, The Main Takeaway

As much as I want to celebrate and cheer the Dora Milaje for kicking some stupid asses, the main takeaway from this episode that is unavoidably somber is seeing the shield covered in the blood of someone who was trying to fight for a unified world, who begged for mercy, and who was not responsible for the crime he was murdered for. I want to point out that this visual representation of the shield being misused is only the most explicit depiction of the conflicting nature of that symbol that most people of color have been dealing with for as long as that shield has existed.

Sam refused the shield for many reasons but Mackie has been arguing that part of it is bc it is unimaginably difficult for a black man to represent a nation that has not stood for the black man.

Sarah says, very clearly, that she cannot care about the mascot of a country that doesn't care about her world.

The shield, in many ways, represents America, and America has, historically, systematically and violently oppressed people of color, which makes it very hard for those people of color to claim that symbol, because to them, it is the visual representation of their oppression, and the systems that inhibit their lives.

To people of color, that shield has always had some blood on it, because America as an institution has actively harmed people of color.

And this goes beyond America and the American people, as you can see by the fact that this extra-judicial killing of a member of the Flag Smashers occurs outside of the United States. As someone from a country where uncountable numbers of people have been killed as collateral damage of US-drone strikes, amongst other things, that shield also represents the imperialist military complex that America has and enforces on the world. The shield represents America and America has spilled a lot of blood on foreign soil, a significant amount of it more innocent than the Flag Smasher Walker killed.

TL;DR: Episode 4 may be the first time we are seeing blood physically on the shield for the first time, but for American people of color, and those belonging to nations harmed by American imperialism, that shield has had blood on it for a long time, because it represents America, and for aforementioned groups, America has fronted suffering.

The Lavender debacle, aka thanks for nothing J.K. Rowling

I’ve finally retrieved this exact quote from Mugglenet after looking for it all over various HP forums. JKR said this in an actual interview. It’s not a theory or anything, JKR herself said it with her own mouth.

Jo: I will say, that, yes, I personally feel… Well, it’s going to be clear once people have read Book 6. I mean, that’s it. It’s done, isn’t it? We know. Yes, we do now know that it’s Ron and Hermione. I do feel that I have dropped heavy…

[Everyone laughs]

Jo: … hints. ANVIL-sized, actually, hints, prior to this point. I certainly think even if subtle clues hadn’t been picked up by the end of “Azkaban,” that by the time we hit Krum in Goblet…

But Ron… I had a lot of fun with that in this book. I really enjoyed writing the Ron/Lavender business, and the reason that was enjoyable was, Ron up to this point has been quite immature compared to the other two, and he needed to make himself worthy of Hermione. Now, that didn’t mean necessarily physical experience but he had to grow up emotionally and now he’s taken a big step up. Because he’s had the meaningless physical experience… let’s face it; his emotions were never deeply engaged with Lavender.

[Everyone laughs]

Jo: And he’s realized that that is ultimately not what he wants, which takes him a huge emotional step forward.

Emerson: So he’s got a little bit more than a teaspoon, now there’s a tablespoon?

Jo: Yeah, I think. [laughs]

OKAY.

There are just so many wrong things about this.

I really enjoyed writing the Ron/Lavender business

The attentive reader will notice that Rowling really, really gets off humiliating her characters and perhaps Ron most of all. Her humour is hugely based on slapstick comedy (Neville being thrown out of a window, Petunia tossing a frying pan at Harry, Seamus’ spells blowing up in his face). The aforementioned parts of the HP books are supposed to be read with your typical Saturday morning cartoon of Wile E. Coyote in mind.

Remember when I was talking about Ron’s magical prowess, and then I got carried away and talked about how even Ron’s own author enjoys bullying him?

To support my point, I had talked about the scene where Ron is carried by all the Gryffindors as they sing the triumphant reprise of Weasley is Our King; JKR writes that Ron bumps his head on the door’s lintel, thus ending this scene of victory and elation by a gag destined to mock/punish Ron.

The problem is that JKR, in this scene, uses slapstick wrong. Let’s have a little lesson about slapstick comedy: it’s only fun and satisfying when the person who’s at the receiving end deserves it. A good example is when Harry is playing Quidditch in third year, and he notices Dementors gathering down on the pitch, and sends a Patronus their way… and the Dementors fall on their bums and are revealed to be Malfoy and his cronies. We’re laughing with Harry, because the bad guys have been punished, their treachery is exposed and they’re humiliated for all to see. It’s funny, it’s rewarding, it’s sweet, sweet vengeance on your schoolyard bullies: it’s good slapstick.

But for Ron to bump his head on the door’s lintel after he’s finally proved himself to the entire school? Why?! He’s the good guy in this situation, we’re rooting for him!! He’s the one who just conquered his performance anxiety and as such has avenged several children who saw themselves in his stage fright, who saw themselves in his nerves! He’s in the right! If someone should be receiving copious amounts of slapstick there it should be Malfoy, for having tortured Ron during the entire school year! Why should Ron suffer for something that wasn’t even his fault in the first place, why should we be laughing at him when we’re supposed to be enjoying his triumph along with him?!

I’ve just got waaay too many emotions about JKR’s horrible treatment of her own character so let’s just jump to the real issue:

Ron up to this point has been quite immature compared to the other two

Maybe to Rowling, but, you know, she expects us to consider Ron immature because she says so; but when you look at how Ron deals with several things in the books, you realize that he’s quite mature for his age. He is always shown forgiving his friends as soon as they apologize to him. He doesn’t look for excuses when he makes mistakes; he owns up to them and tries to apologize, and then does his darndest to not make the same mistakes again.

It’s actually a key point of JKR’s writing, actually. You’re not supposed to believe what the bad guys say because they’re bad guys, yet when you look at what the Locket tells Ron, he’s actually right about the fact that Molly treats him the worst out of her children (no, I’m not talking about the corned-beef sandwiches, I’m talking about how he’s send to school with a second-hand wand while all his siblings, Ginny too, are sent to school with wands that actually chose them!!!) and you’re supposed to cheer for the good guys because you’re informed they’re the good guys; but (as an example) what Hermione did to Marietta Edgecombe is a curse that has disfigured her FOR LIFE, for crying out loud! That’s the equivalent of throwing vitriol to someone’s face! And that is punishable by prison!!

So, we’ve established that Ron’s more mature than his own author gives him credit for. Now, for the part that makes my blood boil…

he needed to make himself worthy of Hermione

Oh my dear god almighty in the holy heavens above someone get me something to punch in the face and FAST.

So, Ron, in Rowling’s opinion. Ron “vomits-slugs-for-Hermione’s-sake” Weasley. Ron “I’m-going-to-kill-[Malfoy]-with-my-bare-hands” Weasley. Ron “follows-the-spiders-for-Hermione’s-sake-even-though-he’s-deeply-arachnophobic” Weasley. Ron “loudly-calls-out-Snape-when-he-insults-Hermione-and-gets-detention-for-his-trouble” Weasley. Ron “you-won’t-have-to-do-all-the-work-alone-this-time-Hermione” Weasley. Ron “worries-about-Hermione’s-reputation-when-Rita-Skeeter-writes-shit” Weasley. Ron “gifts-Hermione-perfume-for-Christmas” Weasley. Ron “has-been-in-love-with-Hermione-since-his-second-year” Weasley.

Has to make himself “worthy” of Hermione Granger. Hermione “Ron’s-pet-rat-doesn’t-matter” Granger. Hermione “you’re-the-most-insensitive-wart-I’ve-ever-had-the-misfortune-to-meet” Granger. Hermione “uses-Viktor’s-letters-to-bait-Ron-into-a-jealous-rage” (which he doesn’t, again, maturity) Granger. Hermione “you’ve-got-the-emotional-range-of-a-teaspoon” Granger. Hermione “lists-the-reasons-why-Harry-is-fanciable-in-front-of-Ron-who-has-an-inferiority-complex-bigger-than-Betelgeuse” Granger. Hermione “Ron-can’t-possibly-succeed-without-the-use-of-Felix-Felicis” Granger.

What has Hermione ever done for Ron, apart from one kiss on the cheek (and she had kissed Harry’s cheek before, so obviously to Ron that wouldn’t count as a romantic gesture), what has Hermione ever done to make herself “worthy” of Ron?! Why should it only be Ron who strive to be worthy, why shouldn’t Hermione make herself worthy as well?! Oh, sorry, I forgot Hermione was the Author’s Darling and the self-insert. Therefore, she is allowed to do anything she wants and should just stand there looking mature while waiting for Ron to magically drop into her lap.

he had to grow up emotionally and now he’s taken a big step up. Because he’s had the meaningless physical experience

… Yeah but no. I mean. He’s seen the “physical experience” happening all over Hogwarts. He’s been seeing it with Bill and Fleur, he’s witnessed Ginny doing it. He didn’t like what he saw.

And he’s realized that that is ultimately not what he wants, which takes him a huge emotional step forward.

… YEAH BUT NO!

Seriously! What the hell?! You know, Ron’s been raised by Molly Weasley, he’s grown up with the Tales of Beedle the Bard, and I firmly believe that as such, he’s a big prude concerning relationships and he has (perhaps naive) notions of true love and happily ever after. To him, a first kiss would be something special. I can very much see Ron saving himself, from his first kiss to his virginity, for Hermione. I think that, subconsciously, he considered Hermione to be “the one” for him. As such, what Ron would want from a romantic relationship would be, quite simply, Hermione Granger.

And I know it’s JKR’s word and that JKR’s word is law… but considering the way she treats Ron in her very books, considering the way she allowed the movies to fuck over his entire character arc, considering the way she allowed even Cursed Child to ridicule him? Screw JKR, honestly.

Emerson: So he’s got a little bit more than a teaspoon, now there’s a tablespoon?

Jo: Yeah, I think. [laughs]

HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA FUNNY ISN’T THAT FUNNY HAHAHAHAHA SO FUNNY MUCH LAUGHING no. That comment of Hermione is hurtful. That comment of Hermione implies that Ron is incapable of feeling complex emotions. That comment of Hermione is treated either as a funny joke or as actual gospel truth by the fandom while it’s neither. But then again, Half-Blood Prince is the book that brought us “physical abuse is totally okay as long as it’s a girl who does it” so I shouldn’t expect better.

There you have it, the interview in which Rowling claims that she’s made Ron “worthy” of Hermione because we all know that Hermione’s supposed to get the best of the best, but if Ron is stuck with a girl who believes he needs Felix Felicis to accomplish anything for the rest of his life then sucks to be him, and in my humble opinion JKR’s own opinion is sexist bullshit.

There’s been a few talks about how Hermione is made to look like a horrible person - but everything I’ve written about is canon. Hermione can canonically display sociopathic behaviour and she’s never shown to better herself for Ron’s sake. It’s about time she gets called out on this.

JKR said that Ron needed to be “worthy” of Hermione - thus showing the exact mentality of many a Ron-basher who believe that Ron “isn’t good enough” for perfect goddess Granger. Are you sickened yet? I know I am.

anyway, i think john walker is the perfect captain america. he represents exactly what america is. we’re a pro-gun, pro-military, pro-war, pro-capitalist, and ofc pro-racism.  john walker is a better representation of america than steve or sam could ever hope to be.  also some of yall are feeling sentimental over the shield because of what it could represent or what the potential for it is…. ARE YOU GUYS FORGETTING THAT ITS MADE FROM STOLEN VIBRANIUM FROM WAKANDA?? 

lmao i can’t make this shit up. the writers of this show knew exactly what they were doing.

because now, when sam takes over the shield, he’s going to represent everything that america can be, everything that america has the potential to be. 

Ayo could have easily left with both the shield and Bucky’s arm if she wanted to. People want rage for Bucky’s arm being removed but has yet to show outrage about the people of wakanda not getting justice for their fallen leader speaks volumes.

The Dora milaje came for zemo and was generous enough to give him a deadline. The pushback and resistance that they received when coming to collect was disrespectful. Not just towards them but their country.

Let’s not forget that Zemo escaped meaning they have to live another day without serving justice to their country. Bucky put that arm back on like what, three seconds later?

And I’m somehow supposed to feel bad for Him in all of this?? I’m thinking some themes in this show are flying over your heads.

Transgender Day of Visibility.

Derek said the bite is a gift but the real gift has always been Scott McCall