by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Once upon a time, the idea of “gender essentialism” being a critique of an audience favorite like Aliens would have enraged me. Not that it isn’t a legitimate criticism, but because, as a storyteller, it would be yet ANOTHER nit-picky thing I would have to weigh in my mind.
But, thankfully, I’ve mellowed out enough that after being annoyed with the idea that Ana Marie Cox would suggest such a thing about the beloved Aliens, I’ve moved on.
And, yet, it is an interesting thing to address given that the first novel in the four thriller series I’m working on is awash in this so-called idea of “gender essentialism.” In fact, the basic motivation of the first book’s protagonist is, pretty much the gender essentialist concept of a mother’s love — or, the gender essentialist idea of the Ur mother who loves another woman’s child as her own.
The idea that someone might deduct points from an otherwise beloved movie like Aliens because….a woman loves a young child and wants to protect her? That’s somehow bad? I would admit that instead of using the fancy point-headed term “gender essentialism,” you might use the far more pedestrian term “shmaltzy.” But that would be used if that particular plot point was poorly implemented.
But if you get too wrapped up in all the Leftist attacks on traditional heteronormative storytelling you give up and just stare at the celling in a dark room because you’re male and white and CIS and, therefore, impossible for you to tell any story at all because you’re a member of the patriarchy and why don’t you just drop dead?
So, fuck that. I just going to tell the story I want to tell and let the chips fall where they may.
