Seems like there might be enough traction, so here we go!
Our first "book" shall be “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K LeGuin.
It is a short story that is readily available online. If you cannot purchase it, rent it, or find it online please let me know and I will provide more information on how to get it.
Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, grooming, and child abuse
I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific, and not generic book club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.
Some things to think about while reading:
- Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
- Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
- Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
- Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?
I don't know if I'll start adding generic book club questions, but if you'd like more general discussion questions of the works going forward, please let me know and I can include some. There's just a lot of discussion available already for this specific piece and I don't want answers to common questions to overshadow more nuanced discussions that center women which is why we're all in this community. Also, this is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline.
Our first movie will be Kpop Demon Hunters. There were some other suggestions, but I wanted to keep it a little lighter considering this months book has some serious trigger warnings and I wanted people to be able to participate in at least one of the two, even if they would rather not engage in heavy topics. This is an animated movie available on Netflix. I know this is a little exclusionary, but there are some other ways to watch it as well.
Trigger warnings: animated violence/gore, discussion of demons and the afterlife
Same as above: I would like to include some discussion questions that are community specific, and not generic movie club questions, so these will likely be questions I ask regarding every work, subject to change of course.
Some things to think about while watching:
- Do you think this work is told from a feminist perspective? Why?
- Do you think the authors gender or gender identity affected their choice of subject, writing style, or perspective character?
- Does the narrators gender or gender identity affect the work? If so, how?
- Did this work change your opinion on anything? If so, what and why?
I don't know if I'll start adding generic questions, but if you'd like more general discussion questions of the works going forward, please let me know and I can include some. There's just a lot of discussion available already for this specific piece and I don't want answers to common questions to overshadow more nuanced discussions that center women which is why we're all in this community. Also, this is not a homework assignment. You can choose to address any or none of the questions posed here, or talk about your general thoughts or whatever else. Please feel free to pose your own questions in the comments as well. These should serve as a handy springboard if needed, but not a mandatory outline.
Comments are spoilers territory. If you want to use spoiler tags in the comments, please do, but it is not required. If you venture into the comments please keep in mind this is a discussion thread for media so there will likely be spoilers.
Going forward This is a community project. I would like to get input regarding written works and tv/movies that would be a good fit for this. I will leave a comment on this thread that you can respond to if you'd like to offer a suggestion. One suggestion per comment please. You can comment multiple times though. I'd like to make sure the selections are widely accessible, so please add that information if you know for sure something is in the public domain or available online, as that makes it easier to recommend. Please vote on the other comments you see there. I'd like to pair heavier topics in one media with lighter topics in the other, just in case you're wondering why a specific piece was not chosen. Things like language or availability may also affect the selection. I'm also open to changing or adding discussion questions.
Thank you all for your interest. Excited to hear your perspectives!
PS: Even if you have seen or read the media before, I would encourage a reread or rewatch to best participate in the discussion!
I mentioned in a reply to the comment you're replying to, but I am personally giving it a little more leeway because it seems to be tapping into a specific culture where that body type is popular. I don't really know much about the idol culture, and I'm not saying that's good or positive, but it is possibly an accurate reflection of the current cultural moment. I am definitely speaking out of ignorance, so feel free to correct me if I am mistaken. Obviously, I support all kinds of diversity, including body diversity, but in this case I was willing to give it quite a big pass.
I also agree about the end result for the demons. Again, I really don't have enough cultural context to speak intelligently on that, but I appreciate you adding about the reversal of culturally thematic elements for feminine and masculine.  I didn't explicitly mind that there was no "happily ever after" for everyone. If a certain culture or even a certain work wants to suggest that people who do bad things have bad things happen to them and that's just how the world works, I'm not going to fault it for that. I might not agree, but I am willing to give it that space to explore.
Interesting that you bring up the Barbie movie. I have so much to say about that, but I won't derail this here. I will just add that I think your reading is correct. It did not start out as a "feminist utopia". That was one of Margot Robbie's characters issues. It was this hyper saccharine commodified ideal of feminism. It wasn't a perfect movie, but her going to the gynecologist at the end of the movie basically makes your point, and it's the movies point. Feminism isn't girly pop "girls run the world" bs. It's every day equality that acknowledges women as full human beings who sometimes need to go to the gynecologist.
Regarding the last bit where you talk about yourself. I find myself in a somewhat similar situation sometimes. I first posted on here about the Superman movie, which seemed to be almost universally loved. I was really surprised that people walked away enjoying it so much. I've had lots of conversations about it at this point, and I think so many people just think "it's not that deep, bro". I'm willing to acknowledge that part of enjoying media may necessitate just turning your brain off, but there are some issues that are so egregious it makes it impossible to ignore. I think that line is different for everyone, and to a certain extent I think that you finding it hard to do so speaks to an unwillingness to overlook injustices even in media. Though that might not lead to great personal outcomes, it probably indicates a level of investment in equality that we should all aspire to.