What the hell does Ars Marginal mean?
So much of the arts and entertainment we get exposed to is by and for straight White guys*. We figured it’s time for us to talk about what we get out of it. Because, frankly, we’re tired of that shit.
Ars Marginal flips the script and looks at movies, TV shows, comic books, and games from our point of view. We’re not on a mission to prove how everything we come across is a racist, sexist, homophobic piece of shit (unless the piece in question is a racist, sexist, homophobic piece of shit). We’re just giving honest feedback about things we enjoy and what it says to and about us as people who are not straight White dudes*.
And because Ars Marginal sounds archaic and magical and way cooler than some English pun. Just like fake Latin should.
* To be more specific – straight, cisgender, able-bodied, middle to upper class White dudes.
It’s just a movie/comic book/TV show/game!
Why go through all this? Because we believe that we have a right to see ourselves reflected in our chosen media in ways that don’t exclude or demean us. Funny how many people think that’s such a big fucking deal.
Because we know that media does matter. It’s never just a movie/TV show/comic book/game. We’re not saying that these media create fucked up ideas about gender, race, sexuality and so on. But they do reflect them and pass them on. Since there are a lot of us out here who would be on the receiving end of these fucked up ideas, it’s in our best interests to call that shit out before ideas become actions that hurt us or people we care about.
So it’s a review blog?
Reviews are part of what we’re doing here, but we’re not doing that thumbs-up/thumbs-down or star rating bullshit. What really concerns us are the dynamics a particular piece perpetuates.
That’s going to be the meat of our discussion (which you’re welcome to join in, if you have some home training and got your 101 on).
And we’re not going to use just one style. We won’t limit ourselves to some boring ass academic or journalistic shit that makes people feel smart but doesn’t say much. Whatever it takes to get our point across is exactly what the fuck we’re going to do.
Fair warning, though: We will not cater to privilege. The things you’re going to see are what we really think and feel about things. It might get a little raw. It might cut a little deep. But it’s always going to be real.
So if you’re ready to have your worldview shook up and can act like you got some sense, enjoy!
Ars Marginal 