Thank you, fiction, for the best and worst of humanity (part 3 (Wonder Woman))
Hello hello hello! Welcome to the final part of my series (go check out part 1 and 2).
As always, you need to check out this week's piece of fiction and if you absolutely refuse, then proceed with caution as spoilers lie ahead. (Also Wonder Woman is a piece of perfection and if you haven't seen it then I disown you.)
So. Wonder Woman. Somehow, I don't think I've managed to properly fangirl over this movie yet but I'll spare you the pain today. (All I'll say is that it's a movie we don't deserve (or maybe it's a movie we've deserved for a long time) but in any case I freaking love it.)
One of my favourite parts about this movie is that it so clearly demonstrates how regular, ordinary people have the ability to showcase either the best or worst of humanity. In the beginning, Diana thinks WWI was caused by the god of war, Ares, who snuck his way into people's heads and forced them to fight and murder and manipulate and hate. This explanation removed humanity's agency, made it someone else's fault that we can be horrible sometimes.
People lie. They murder and create weapons of mass destruction and execute whole villages of innocent people in the name of hatred. Isn't that the most ugly side of humanity? And what makes it worse is that it is later revealed that Ares doesn't force people to act out of hate and a lust for power. He merely suggests it, puts the idea in people's heads. The rest is up to us.
Of course, that leaves us with the other option. Love. Understanding. Peace. We always have the option to listen to the god of war (he was an Ally, for goodness sakes, not an evil German hiding in the shadows cackling manically) and hurt other people. In fact, that's the easy way out.
The hard way is chasing to protect, to serve, to sacrifice. Diana shows this time and time again. She leaves behind her entire world, her family and friends, everything, in order to help people she's never met. She choses to put aside her own wants and needs to serve those who need protecting. Steve and the rest of his gang do the same thing (albeit with less selflessness as Diana).
I love Wonder Woman because it argues that we have a choice. No matter who you are, what side you're on, what you believe in, you can chose to love and protect. That's what makes humanity great. The ability to choose to act for good.
As always, you need to check out this week's piece of fiction and if you absolutely refuse, then proceed with caution as spoilers lie ahead. (Also Wonder Woman is a piece of perfection and if you haven't seen it then I disown you.)
So. Wonder Woman. Somehow, I don't think I've managed to properly fangirl over this movie yet but I'll spare you the pain today. (All I'll say is that it's a movie we don't deserve (or maybe it's a movie we've deserved for a long time) but in any case I freaking love it.)
One of my favourite parts about this movie is that it so clearly demonstrates how regular, ordinary people have the ability to showcase either the best or worst of humanity. In the beginning, Diana thinks WWI was caused by the god of war, Ares, who snuck his way into people's heads and forced them to fight and murder and manipulate and hate. This explanation removed humanity's agency, made it someone else's fault that we can be horrible sometimes.
People lie. They murder and create weapons of mass destruction and execute whole villages of innocent people in the name of hatred. Isn't that the most ugly side of humanity? And what makes it worse is that it is later revealed that Ares doesn't force people to act out of hate and a lust for power. He merely suggests it, puts the idea in people's heads. The rest is up to us.
Of course, that leaves us with the other option. Love. Understanding. Peace. We always have the option to listen to the god of war (he was an Ally, for goodness sakes, not an evil German hiding in the shadows cackling manically) and hurt other people. In fact, that's the easy way out.
The hard way is chasing to protect, to serve, to sacrifice. Diana shows this time and time again. She leaves behind her entire world, her family and friends, everything, in order to help people she's never met. She choses to put aside her own wants and needs to serve those who need protecting. Steve and the rest of his gang do the same thing (albeit with less selflessness as Diana).
I love Wonder Woman because it argues that we have a choice. No matter who you are, what side you're on, what you believe in, you can chose to love and protect. That's what makes humanity great. The ability to choose to act for good.
Good points! I loved Wonder Woman and really need to watch it again.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think I need to watch it again too.
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