Feminist Media

racebending:

kyssthis16:

pocketofhours:

Reason #898457 Elementary is already better than all your faves:

Can I just say how fucking refreshing it is to see this type of character actually apologize? To a WOC of all people? Like, that shit is fucking miraculous. And it wasn’t the infamous non-apology in which characters like him will use every other word in the English language just to avoid actually apologizing. He said the actual words and meant them. Better yet, he was specific: “for the way I spoke to you earlier”. Just - ugh, the appreciation I feel for this show knows no bounds.

Because we live in a culture that consistently glorifies these type of characters. Assholes (almost always male and always white) who are vehemently unrepentant in their cruelty and borderline sociopathic/sexist/racist tendencies and comments, but also happen to be a “genius” of some sort. And everyone (including the audience) is supposed to forgive them, even love and admire them, because we are conditioned to believe that this character is just misunderstood. That it is our fault (as females, as POC) they’re jerks. That we’re not appreciating their genius enough. That they don’t ever need to apologize. That they’re intelligence matters more than our mental health and even our physical safety.

And Elementary busted through the sea of bullshit and told this tired ass trope to gtfo. Nobody gives a fuck how white intelligent you are, they’re telling us. You’re still going to be held responsible for your actions and words, especially when you’re a dick.

So four for you, Elementary, four for you.

It also helps differentiate the show from House M.D., another Sherlock Holmes inspired show where the main character was unrepentantly jerkish to all of his compatriots and sexist to the women around him, as part of his “quirky” character. If House had been say, portrayed by a woman of color, the character would most likely have been described using some sexist or racist choice words, instead of seen as charming by viewers.