Response to Men in Black II post

[~Eve~]

moved here to the CURRENT EVENTS Forum, from Anorexia and Bulimia Forum

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Hey there :bowl

I know I could have just replied to the original post, but decided instead to be attention-seeking to make sure I got my voice heard. :winky

I haven't seen the movie, and can't say I have any intention of doing so, but when I read about the opening scene, with the puking alien etc, my immediate reaction was laughter. Yep - I actually think this sounds pretty funny, and I just wanted to put across an alternative point of view (without offending, of course :cheesy).

I've read a few posts in the past along the same lines - expressing outrage that movies etc poke fun at anorexia and bulimia, and whilst I appreciate why some people may find it offensive, I think it is worth considering that perhaps they are not poking fun at eating disorders per se, but at the culture that precipitates eating disorders.

It's ridiculous that this alien appears in "perfect" human form, and then pukes up what she's just eaten because it makes her fat, but then, isn't our culture equally ridiculous? Take a look at the society that gives rise to these illnesses: whilst obesity levels worldwide reach crisis point and still continue to escalate, the diet industry sky-rockets, and the other half of the population fall vistim to anorexia and bulimia. We bemoan this very sad fact and then parade skeletal actresses and models as the ideal. And it is true that when you put someone from a non-Western culture into our society they become more likely to develop eating disorders.

Western society IS fucking ridiculous.

And I really don't think it's a bad thing that this is acknowledged by a little piss-taking.

But then I'm a strong believer that sometimes you just HAVE to laugh. Or you'd just cry. Maybe we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously? Actually, that's unfair, and it's not what I'm getting at.

I regularly buy Viz. I don't know if you've heard of it, or even if they have it in the US, and most of you are probably too nice to read it anyway. Anyway, if you're unfamiliar with it, it's an adult comic - purely sexual and toilet humour. Highly offensive to many, incredibly immature, and I absolutely love it.
One of the regular characters is a model called Anna Reksik - I think you can pretty much imagine it. I've often read it and wondered if I should be offended by it, instead of finding it so amusing. But I think I find it so funny because I know that although she is a total characature, and her actions grossly exaggerated (I'm not going to elaborate because some of you really would be offended, I think!), I know perfectly well that she's not so far off what we're really like. I would be willing to bet that whoever writes the comic strip has either had an ED or been close to someone who has. And I look at this silly cartoon character, and see myself, and it makes me take a step back, and think they're right - this is a fucking stupid way to spend your life.

The best humour is observational.

So anyway - that's just my input, for what it's worth.

Ta ta for now :kiss

Eve :smokin

[ajia]

:hugon eve :hugoff

:ummm good point(s).

:peace :love

[ythpstr]

Yeah...I was both amused an apalled at that opening scene. Then I bought "Rosie" and read her interview with LFB and really look at differently. If it might have been another actress...I might have been :reallymad

BUT...HELLO...it was Lara Flynn Boyle...probably second in the does she/does she not have an ED list.

The fact that the make-up/special effects for the scene were very well done (albeit...kinda icky) and it was almost like LFB was poking fun at everyone who insists she has an ED.

I bet ya if it had been another actress (save Calista Flockhart)...the scene would have played out a bit differently.

[SFishy]

Tony and I talked about this last night, and wanted to give everyone something to think about.

There is a scene in the movie (in the previews -- we haven't yet seen the movie) -- with Will Smith and his car. The driver of the car gets sucked into the steering wheel, and Will Smith says "I used to have a black guy, but he kept getting pulled over"... almost everyone in the theatre laughs.

Tony and I both laugh (keeping in mind, Tony himself is a minority).

In our society we poke-fun at a variety of stereotypes. There has been much fun made of super-models in what they eat (don't eat), or in purging their meals. Why? Because it's a stereotype that super-models are too thin. In my opinion, it doesn't belittle what people with EDs suffer, just like Will Smith's joke doesn't belittle racial oppression. It's a joke, and part of what makes it's funny is the truth in stereotypes and how they relate to our human experiences, and society.

There are things that can cross the line and get offensive, but I don't believe this is an example. It's a joke, and sometimes we have to be able to laugh, even if that means laughing at ourselves.

Take care of YOU

[roashambo]

My thoughts exactly, Amy! That was what I was trying to get across in my post that asked what's the difference between this and a Cheech and Chong movie that makes fun of getting/being stoned (btw, ALOT of recovering/recovered addicts find Cheech and Chong to be extremely hilarious--not offensive). When I said, "Don't make fun of MY ed," I was being sarcastic. Trying to make a point that maybe we take these things too seriously and need to lighten up a bit.

Anyway, thanks Amy for expressing this all better than I could.

[Wxcat]

Interesting topic...

I can appreciate the thoughts of the :fishy who first posted about this....somedays it's a little hard to take jokes about something we take so seriously...

....but then I saw this post, and I'm glad I came across it. I've been feeling rather guilty, you see, because I find a scene in one of my favorite movies absolutely hilarious and it pokes fun at therapy and being anorectic....

But we've got to laugh, right, and so what if we laugh at ourselves sometimes? Maybe we should do it a little more often sometimes...:muhaha

[MonStar]

i think that our eds need to be taken seriously, but at the same time being so defencive about them being made fun of i think is futile. sometimes making light of things like this can make it easier for ppl who dont understand to talk about it. being white, sometimes its awkward knowing how to react when a line like the one about black guys getting pulled over, is said in MIB**** if im in the company of a black person. i suspect ppl who dont have eds can feel like this around us. i know sometimes i make fun of my ed, not because i dont think that its serious, but because joking about it helps put others at ease. this makes them more open to talk about it and understand it.
i have been known to say silly things like.....ohh i will do that when i get the guts up to do it, ohh wait that shouldnt really be that hard for me being bulimic and all now should it. ppl sometimes say nothing and look, but i just say hey its ok guys, i struggle with bulima. its not like we cant talk about it, its not who i am. its something i do and need to work on and need help with. that kinda makes it easier to have a good support group. ppl dont feel like they have to walk on egg shells and it leads to open talk about it. which i think is good. i think that scenes like this in a movie can do that too.
sorry i rambled sooo much