āBad Representationā is actually a topic Iām really passionate about and interested in, I could talk about it for ages. The way people handle āBad Representationā as a concept is genuinely fascinating, too, so this is both an analytical fascination and an anthropological one.
For clarity, I thoroughly do believe there is such thing as āBad Representationā, especially when it comes to expressions of pure bigotry from the person doing the representingā¦ But I personally think everyoneās bar for what counts as āBad Representationā is set a little bit too strictly, has no real account for capitalistic and/or historical restrictions - For Example: Language and common understanding of queer identity being far different in the 1950ās than it is now, and Studio Meddling - and also, interestingly, tends to take no account for the opinion of those getting ārepresentedā, or the idea of individual satisfaction.
Thereās been many, many times where a character is objectively pretty bad representation by modern standards, but discussion surrounding it takes no account for the concept of Resonance. Sometimes a character is not āGood Representationā as an objective concept, but they are relatable, likable, and quite fun to watch. Iāve seen quite a few instances of people talking down to the mentally ill or disabled for enjoying a Slasher in part because of their disorder/disability, or queer people for enjoying Hays Code villains. Sometimes a character isnāt written kindly, or isnāt written well, but they really resonate with youā¦ And that counts for something.
One of my favorite characters - one who has helped me come to terms with my cPTSD and OSDD - is a representation of PTSD + DID that is objectively not very good. Heās basically a Vietnam War veteran, who gets an Alter in the middle of the war that is basically a self defensive Murder Mode. Itās literally the PTSD from The War and Evil Alter cliche, but thereās just some aspects that really hit for me, like the fact that heās considered the nicest, kindest person in the cast, and the alter is portrayed clearly as being in constant self defense mode, thinking heās still in the middle of the war, and also being quite silly. Thereās several details I view as being done pretty well, a whole arc about him grappling with his mental health in a way I find quite fascinating and visceral, and I enjoy him quite a lot! But many would agree that heās āBad Representationā because of the War PTSD and Evil Alter tropes. Even I agree that those things kinda suck, but thatās not stopping the fact that this character has meant a lot to me, and that I really would not be the same level of okay with myself if I hadnāt discovered this character.
Iāve caught flack for this. Iāve seen many other people latch onto a character who is not executed very well because they find them personally relatable, or are using them to figure some things out about themselves, and also catch flack for it because the character is not āGood Representationā for a group as a whole. No account for Resonance, no account for Individual Experience. Itās a fascinating lack of a sense of nuance.
I think people have forgotten - or perhaps do not realize - that criticizing a base concept, or base execution of a concept, is different from criticizing individual experience. Itās like the difference between criticizing the makeup industry vs. criticizing someoneās personal choice to wear makeup. It is good to point out when something is written or executed poorly, but you do not know the reason why that one individual disabled person enjoys a poorly written character who shares their disability. I would even say that they probably know more than you do that itās written badly, because they have lived that characterās disability and you likely have not. I think you should maybe step off if a blind person really likes Terezi or something. You do not need to patronize them by telling them that she isnāt āGood Representationā because her quirk isnāt screenreader friendly, and that her blindness has a magical workaround. I think they already know that these are facts about her that are true. They like her for a reason, and that reason is Resonance.
