Sunday, May 17, 2009

Stupid People Saying Stupid Things

I don't often make two posts in one day but I had to file a quick Stupid People complaint. I was just reading an article on some movie casting that interests me and had to comment on the comments.
Chris Hemsworth, who plays George Kirk in J.J. Abram's current Star Trek hit, has apparently been cast in the lead role for the upcoming Thor movie (based on the Marvel comics of the same name and part of the ongoing Avengers series of movies) and he has also been cast as Jed Eckert in the upcoming remake of Red Dawn (the character originally portrayed by Patrick Swayze). I'm not a huge comics Thor fan but I am very interested in what they are doing with the Avengers movies (and I've been very pleased with what they have done so far). I am also a big fan of the original Red Dawn (I don't care how cheesy people think it is in modern context - it wasn't made in modern context) and Patrick Swayze was my favorite in that movie. I'm unsure how a modern remake would work, but I'm willing to wait and see.
So then I get to the comments section and find two commenters saying essentially the same thing. One comment says, "Boring casting choice - very american" (sic) while the other says, "Can you say alpha male American stereotype a little louder." (sic)
First of all, when did American become a pejorative? Are these elitists unaware of the fact that American movies are often the most popular movies around the world, not just in America? That would seem to imply that being American might actually be a good thing.
Second, the actor in question isn't even American. He is Australian, which the article very clearly states. Now I'll grant you that it might make a bit more sense to cast someone Nordic to portray a Norse god, but when has that ever mattered in movie casting? To describe this as American casting, however, is bound to put a few Australians up in arms.
Finally - and most importantly, to my way of thinking - how is "alpha male" even a complaint here? Is the commenter the least bit familiar with the characters in question? We're talking about the Norse god of thunder and a redneck big brother who leads a group of teenagers in a fight against invading forces. Can you get any more alpha male than these character descriptions themselves? Seriously, if the concept of alpha male offends you then these are not movies you should be looking at in the first place.
I'm convinced that people who comment on these movie sites just love to see their complaints in print, but why would you advertise stupidity? I don't understand.

2 comments:

  1. Psst! Hey, Rhea... "Commentator" not "commenter."

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  2. Maybe they should have cast the actor who plays Hiro in the tv show "Heroes"? That way, everyone would be equally upset and offended and seriously confused?
    As for being American.. we're hated because we take care of everyone instead of being practical and letting the "kids" grow up and learn their lessons. Or, maybe its because no one respects a country that bends over backwards helping people who spit in our faces?

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