#danny witwer

[the aftermath of me reading this article, which gave me the inspiration to finally share an opinion I have had for some time. not to mention I learned some shit I did not already know. I don't agree with everything it says but it has merit and I would not post this without crediting it]

anderton saying "I don't need some twink from the fed poking around," in minority report will always irk me for so many reasons.

I remember watching it for the first time when I was a kid and not knowing what "twink" meant so I had to ask my dad 💀

it's just such an odd line. why put that in there? what does that specifically add? and sure, it's funny enough. it definitely brings a giggle out of me every once in a while. but it's just so fuckin weird when you think about it.

for starters, colin farrell is hardly a twink. maybe a little in this movie, but it's still a reach. why use gay slang incorrectly? it just sounds off.

second, I think we all know who the actual twink is in this scenario. the call is coming from inside the house, buddy. and yeah, he probably didn't write the line. it just aligns with and contributes to the whole exaggerated macho persona that we all know was laid on a little too thick to be authentic. when someone's masculinity is evident, audiences do not need to be told.

and look, i'm not here to judge anyone's personal life. not only is it not my business, but it just doesn't matter. beyond the very small and very silly part of my brain that likes to be curious about random crap for the sake of ignoring the disappointment that is reality for a moment—fuck me that got dark for a second sorry—I don't really care. what I am judging is the outward projection that may or may not serve a deceptive purpose. to be fair, the effort is justified, but the execution is just ridiculous. anywho.

last of all, and possibly my biggest issue with it, is the derogatory use of the word twink. I hate when people use less offensive words to mask derogatory meanings. you're not doing what you think you're doing, and if you're not careful, you could end up changing the connotation of the word.

a more recent example is the substitution of "bitches" for "females" by misogynists on the internet. we know what you're trying to say. pretending to be less offensive while actively offending someone is just so STUPID.

apparently the movie was originally more explicit but some of the lines were changed to make it rated PG-13 instead of R, so that could be the reason a less offensive word was chosen. but watering down that line still doesn't change the sentiment behind it.

(for this, I direct your attention to what troye sivan said about the topic: them)

because yeah, anderton said twink, but I think we all know he meant faggot. but the venom that word carries would have been a huge problem in 2002, especially since it doesn't really belong in the context of the movie. so they censored it.

I don't think the meaning was lost, though.

pairing: danny witwer/john anderton rating: teen summary:

Footsteps. The door banging open, and then silence. He moves his head, as if to see who it is, as if he can see at all, and electricity arcs up his arm. He’s dead, he’s decided, already shot and bleeding out. Some Precrime officer who’s trigger-happy. That’s alright. He’s accepted it, maybe, or maybe it’s the delirious pain of his eye and the hunger for blood and the remnants of the drug in his system.

“Do it,” he says. “Shoot me.”

“Jesus Christ, Anderton.” It’s not any of his officers, and the man’s heartbeat is pounding in his chest, and it takes him a moment for him to pull it all together. And then slowly, incredulously—

“Witwer?”