Equality: It's Up To Us

On the heels of National Women's Equality Day in August, I found myself debating with my partner the feminist qualities of 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, which garnered a lot of attention not just for its stunning visuals and practical effects, but for its perceived feminist plot and characterization. As evidenced by our conversation, and the ongoing conversation of the internet, not everyone agreed with the "fempositive" perception. I don't think I'm being naive in believing that most educated and open-minded people today believe in the value of gender equality, yet women in the workplace still make 80¢ on the dollar, and the "damsel in distress" trope is still alive and well in Hollywood.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Intention does not equal action, and as an advantaged white male in America, I realize with discomfort that despite my feminist beliefs, I am still embedded in a long-standing privileged patriarchy, and coded sexism sneaks into my thoughts and syntax on a daily basis. 

Imaginos Workshop was created because a group of people agreed that art and stories are important, and that shared creativity is an endeavor worth pursuing. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-gender group of strange and unique people, an oddball microcosm of society at large. We are both creators and consumers, telling stories and crafting characters, while also voraciously taking in the wealth of entertainment available to us in so many forms. So how can we be sure that we aren't falling victim to the systemic prejudices that plague our society? How can we avoid unwittingly perpetuating inequalities of race and gender? 

Aliens (1986)

I don't have the answers to all of these complex problems (and my baked-in pessimism regarding human nature whispers to me that we'll never conquer them completely), but I can say that I think positive change starts with thinking critically and interacting with more (different!) people. We should strive for empathy, which in my experience happens when we dissolve that feeling of otherness that comes from ignorance of another group. As consumers of media, we should do so actively, which is to say that we should be critical and questioning of even the most seemingly benign tidbits of popular media, from commercials and billboards to multi-million dollar budget summer blockbusters. Like I said, I don't have all the answers. But I'm trying, and I've come up with a few questions to ask the next time you're sitting down to watch a movie, whether it's an action epic or a romantic comedy (even the term "chick flick" figures into this conversation. See? It's everywhere). 

1. Does a woman or women drive the plot in a meaningful way?

2. If so, do they do it actively or passively? (This follow-up question is hugely important.) e.g. If a woman is captured, thus forcing a man to rescue her, this is passive action which feeds into old patriarchal plot structures. But if, on the other hand, a woman rebels from the status quo (Furiosa deciding to take the war rig off course in Mad Max: Fury Road) or takes action against a threat (Ripley fighting off the xenomorph in Aliens), this is active influence, and in my opinion indicates a measure of equality and respect towards women and their ability to be as forceful and decisive as men, both in changing their own lives and the lives of others, and also in influencing the landscape and direction of the film plot.

3. To what end do the actions of women in the film lead? If they drive the plot but ultimately only in the service of a male protagonist, this is problematic and may indicate a regressive attitude towards women and their roles as being useful only in regards to how it might benefit a man.

4. Is the sexiness of women a key part of the film, both in terms of aesthetics and narrative? And if so, how is it depicted? Women as sexy is of course not offensive in itself. Women (and men, for that matter) can be sexy while still being powerful and intelligent. But if women are there only to satisfy the male gaze as objects of sex appeal, this is damaging and regressive.

This is not an exhaustive system obviously, but I think if audiences ask themselves these questions in combination with something like the Bechdel test, we can say fairly confidently whether a film is feminist or not, or at least get the discussion started in the right way.

- Jonathan

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 37: Segments and Squad Goals

Alright, 'Combies! The boys are back again with a slew of new segments despite the fact that there was once more no overall point or topic to this show. Drew has beers, Paul talks about Tumblr and Joe just sits back wading through the inevitable jackassery. Sit back and listen to the boys review Suicide Squad, discussing pop/soda, the downsides of recognizing subtext in film and video games, more "Surprise Hydra", a surprising amount of Rick and Morty, and so much more! 

And just in case a reminder needs to be reissued, this is an 18+ podcast. We discuss dirty, naughty and offensive things frequently. So yeah, if you've made it this far, come on down and hang out with ya' boys!

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Also, feel free to hit up your boys on the social media!

Joe: Twitter and Instagram

Drew: Twitter and Instagram

Paul the Engineer: Twitter and The Dispenser (Paul's other podcast)

Pick up Paul's book, The L.A. Division!!

And check out his cover artist, Damian Holter!

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 36: IT'S A WORK OF FICTION! or The Seinfeldian Melee

 Alright, 'Combies! We're about to do something a little bit different. This time... it's a show about nothing. The boys are just hanging out and shooting the shit without any real aim or topic. Yeah, you'll see how long that lasts! They talk about the current "Captain America/Hydra" conspiracy, social conventions and more shit we maybe shouldn't talk about but are really going to talk a lot about. This is a show you'll not want to miss, 'Combies, because this is the show where we finally earn the monnicker of "Howard Stern for Geeks". So come on down and watch the magic! The awkward and periodically dark magic.

And as usual, for context...

DBZA - Start at 6:17, Scanners = Mind Blown! and, after the implied context, The Engineer and his feet!

As always, enjoy and make sure the kiddies are out of the room. This is an 18+ podcast.  ;)

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The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 35: SURPRISE--Zemo?! Part 2

And here we go, 'Combies! Here's part 2 of Joe, Paul, and Drew's analysis and breakdown of Captain America: Civil War! We continue down the spiraling events of the MCU's Civil War and get into the nitty-gritty of the third act and the impact that it has and will continue to have moving forward.

The spoilers continue on in this part so make sure that you see the film first before you listen. So come on down and join the conversation!

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The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 35: SURPRISE--Zemo?! Part 1

Alright, 'Combies! Joe, Paul and Drew are back once again and this time, they're diving headlong into Captain America: Civil War!

If you haven't seen the movie yet, you'll definitely want to avoid listening to this episode because we're going all in! We'll be breaking down the whole movie, discussing the merits of Team Rogers,Team Stark and the Sokovia Accords themselves, and the likes and dislikes of the plot itself. And there'll be plenty of discussion about the surprising emotional punches thrown in the film as well.

The discussion was so massive that we actually had to split the episode up into two parts. Yep, it was THAT long. But if you all want to get the full episode, make yourself heard and we'll post the unified episode in its full bigness!  :D

Also, for reference to the videos that we're talking about in the pre-show reel in viewing order, Enjoy!
Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, and of course, Video 4!

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Tune in next week for Part 2!!

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 34: Incivility from the Dawn of Justice

The Hideout's getting shaken up this week, 'Combies! Paul and Drew from episode 33 have officially been inducted into the Honeycomb Hideout. Let's see how quickly they regret the experience! This time around, Joe, Mark, Paul and Drew are diving head first into the Dawn of Justice, Hardcore Henry and whatever other insanity that comes about (and you know there will be many). Beware, listeners, there be a great many spoilers in this episode so if you haven't seen either Hardcore Henry or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you may want to hold off on listening to this one until you have seen them. So come on down and trip out with you boys!

And of course, what would an episode of the Hideout with Mark be without an image barrage? And remember, they're sequenced in order so you can follow along as we suffer through them.

Image 1, Taint Punch, Snot Girl, Image 2, Video: Start at 29 seconds, Image 3, Celebrity Deaths, Gif 1, Video 2 (Yeah, he found it)

And don't forget, the podcast will be up on iTunes the day after we post it here! So for all our Apple fans out there, you'll be able to download to download it tomorrow. :D

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The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 33: All The Dinosaurs Feared The T-Rex!

Alright, 'Combies! Things have occurred and we're here to talk about them. LOL  Deadpool has happened and made a pretty major impact on the Superhero film landscape and Paul the Engineer is back with Joe and we've got our buddy Drew with us to help to discuss R-Rated Superhero Movies; should they, shouldn't they, why would they?! This one goes on and off the rails more times than many of you may be able to keep track of. Just the way you like it! So come on down and see what kind of stuff flies out of these fools' mouths.

Oh and there's a crap-load spoilers in the show. So if you don't want the following things spoiled for you, you may want to avoid this episode: Deadpool, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Fantastic Four. Likely more, but enjoy dodgin' those. :D  SURPRISE HYDRA!!!

Paul the Engineer: Twitter and The Dispenser

Drew: Twitter and Instagram

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