flower-bat

I don’t mean they enjoy being severely depressed and unhealthy. I mean they have zero desire to try to get better. Not just a fear of seeking treatment due to ‘stigma’, men are less likely to be compliant with medication and treatment and therapeutic methods. This is what gives rise to things like the incel movement, choosing to do anything but attempt introspection and try to improve. And so many mentally ill men develop the crab in a bucket mentality where they try to drag people down with them, where they’re hurting so they hurt others and put the burden of their mental health on them.

You hear stories of 45 year old men who blew their brains out alone in their apartment and weren’t found for four months and you think ‘oh my god, no one was there for him’ but in all likelihood that man pushed everyone out of his life long ago. They cut ties with him for their own health and wellbeing. He felt deeply unpleasant so he behaved deeply unpleasantly.

I was reflecting on three movies, by Baz Luhrmann, that are actually pretty much the same; the rom-flics Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rougue and The Great Gatsby.

We start of with the main trope characters (SPOILERS duh): - The aspiring romantic youth™️ (you can say Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are this role combined in The Great Gatsby). He’s the tragic dreamer who ends up broken or even dead by the end of the movie. All because he is also the hopeless romantic who fights for the love of his life 

- Beautiful and sad grrl™️. “She’s so lucky, she’s a star but she cries cries cries” and oh she CRIES. She’s soooo beautiful and everybody thinks she got it all but she’s all alone and used by her surroundings. The main hero makes her the happiest but they don’t end up together in the end. It’s often because the hero ends up in trouble and it’s often because of problems aka other men she deals with (Juliet’s cousin and marriage, Daisy’s marriage and Satine’s Duke). (Actually both Daisy and Jay Gatsby is also included here because he’s Nick’s “perfect god” and secret crush… it’s f*cking obvious 🏳️‍🌈)

- The third wheel. There’s always this third party involved in the story. And he claims our main heroine because he’s a rich and popular bachelor™️. He doesn’t have to necessary actively claim her or be a douchebag (In Romeo + Juliet the heroine is forced by her parents and Paris is actually trying to be sweet) but he’s the main reason to the couple’s demise. Is goofy at times. 

- Goofy but sad friends. They are funny, they are charming, they like to party but they always end up sad or dead. You can say Nick Carraway had this role also together with traits from The aspiring romantic youth™️. Also Jay Gatsby shares these traits because in the other movies it’s the “goofy but sad friends” who starts or drags the main character to the PARTIIIIES✨ (see plot further down).

- “Bitch I’m Fabulous 😎”. In Romeo + Juliet it’s Juliet’s mom. In The Great Gatsby it’s Jordan. In Moulin Rougue it’s Nini. They’re sassy, they’re fabulous and bitchy. Cares mainly about their own self interests. More interesting than the main heroine tho. Could have had so much more potential but dissapears to leave room for the tragedy.

- “Include POCs but pretty much don’t give them too much room for the fabness”. They are charismatic, funny and often the Goofy but sad friends. They catch your eye but in the end these characters are hardly explored and always surrounds the tragic pair-plot. *sips coffee not surprised* 🙄 ☕

- The XTRA-everything scenery. It’s big and it’s bold. Perfect for PARTIIIIES✨ But it is actually not that xtra-glam once it alls becomes tragic and shit.

With the key trope characters we can start with the plot and how it envolves; It starts with an introduction about the XTRA tragical end which lies ahead in the movie. You’ve been warned. Then The aspiring romantic youth™️ being introduced and it’s all light hearted and funny. The aspiring romantic youth™️ is focused on their aspiration (Nick Carraway mainly takes the role in this one in Gatsby). But he is dragged by “Goofy but sad friends” to extravaganca PARTIIIIES✨. GLITTER, MUSIC AND GLAMOUR BABY.

There is “that spark”, one way or another, for the hush hush-romance between the main tragedy-pair to begin. And somewhere in between is also Beautiful and sad grrl™️ being introduced. It’s important to show how extraordinary beautiful she is and also how tragic she is btw (also includes “he” since we all know Nick crushed badly on Gatsby okay.) The aspiring romantic youth™️ becomes completely starstruck and enarmoured by the Beautiful and sad grrl™️ (in “The Great Gatsby"Nick sees his "god” during PARTIIIIES✨ while Gatsby is already into Daisy) and he pursues her like there’s no end to it. Beautiful and sad grrl™️ has their doubts first (not much tho) but gives in to The aspiring romantic youth™️. Then begins the hush hush-romance phase. The couple is so IN LOOOOOOVE and sooo HAPPY. It’s just OH MY GOOOD. ❤❤ But then people stop being so oblivious to it and realize hey “that’s forbidden fruit mister”. And then begins the “US AGAINST THE WORLD”-part. The tragic pair faces opposition from EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE (more or less). Even the Goofy but sad friends are like “it’s cute and all but you’re screwing up everything idiots” (Poor Mercutio…). The hero has a breakdown phase. The heroine has a breakdown phase. Their love is threatened. He rages and cries. She cries and cries and cries. Lots of shouting or loud singing and angsty af.  Then comes the calm before the storm. The couple decides to fight for their love. But ofc it ends up all shitfaced even more screwed up and angsty than before. Anyway in one way or another the couple is so close ending up with each other (Jay & Nick in this case ok good…) but then there is the “Death did us part” moment where one or both lovers dies. And it’s all back to the sad intro. Everyone is sad. Love is dead. The ones who are left are nihilistic and sad. And the world is horrible. The end.

Extreme displays of wealth and unequal distribution of it

Extortionate ticket prices

Generally anti-meritocratic and exclusionary

Problematic donors and sponsors

Honouring Karl Lagerfeld despite his controversial record

Hugely performative rather than authentic activism

Celebrity hypocrisy

Prioritising elite excess over justice

General tone-deaf disconnect from wider social realities

So this is where we've ended up. With people spreading their weird, toxic "kinks" to each other. Having a kink is one thing but THIS is problematic. I will always fight for women's rights, ALL women's rights, but I will also call them out when they're blaming their own problems on feminism and encourage restoration of patriarchy.

And this why I have no problem calling your asses out. It's for all of the women suffering through history thanks to patriarchal norms and misogyny.

The innocent women being burned at the stake in the 1600s. The practice of widow-burning which still exists.

The legalized wife beatings through history. The abuse behind doors today.

Women getting punished for taking revenge on their rapist even in today's society.

Oh and speak of that:

MOST OF THE EPSTEIN CLASS IS GETTING AWAY WITH THEIR RAPE AND ABUSE OF CHILDREN.

The lack of interests of those Assigned Female at Birth which lead to bad education in mental health and biology.

Transpeople constantly being targeted, harassed and killed because of the forced cis-normativity.

Women being raped, ravaged, imprisoned after their husbands have died in war.

HAVE ANY OF YOU EVER HEARD ABOUT KING HENRY VIII THE WIFE ABUSER!

"Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived"

He executed his second wife for not giving him male heirs. He divorced and mistreated his first for the same. His third wife died because of childbirth complications which Henry ignored. He dismissed his fourth for being ugly while looking the way he did and twice her age. He groomed his fifth bride then excuted her on charges which was okay for a man to commit. And his sixth survived because he was worn out from his own abusive behavior.

Hypatia being stoned for being a educated woman.

FUCKING ACID ATTACKS.

child brides and forced marriage

Do I need to specify it more for you how your behavior has consequences?!