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[Gp1]

'Star Wars': Scientific American Suggests "Jedi" Is "Problematic" Term - Inside the Magic

The Scientific American recently stated the "Jedi" are "problamtic" and "police-monks," raising the eye of many "Star Wars" fans.

insidethemagic.net

Why the Term 'JEDI' Is Problematic for Describing Programs That Promote Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

They’re meant to be heroes within the Star Wars universe, but the Jedi are inappropriate symbols for justice work

www.scientificamerican.com

The entire thing is a piece of work. Too good to be true.

The best bits:

The Jedi are inappropriate mascots for social justice. Although they’re ostensibly heroes within the Star Wars universe, the Jedi are inappropriate symbols for justice work. They are a religious order of intergalactic police-monks, prone to (white) saviorism and toxically masculine approaches to conflict resolution (violent duels with phallic lightsabers, gaslighting by means of “Jedi mind tricks,” etc.). The Jedi are also an exclusionary cult, membership to which is partly predicated on the possession of heightened psychic and physical abilities (or “Force-sensitivity”). Strikingly, Force-wielding talents are narratively explained in Star Wars not merely in spiritual terms but also in ableist and eugenic ones: These supernatural powers are naturalized as biological, hereditary attributes. So it is that Force potential is framed as a dynastic property of noble bloodlines (for example, the Skywalker dynasty), and Force disparities are rendered innate physical properties, measurable via “midi-chlorian” counts (not unlike a “Force genetics” test) and augmentable via human(oid) engineering. The heroic Jedi are thus emblems for a host of dangerously reactionary values and assumptions. Sending the message that justice work is akin to cosplay is bad enough; dressing up our initiatives in the symbolic garb of the Jedi is worse.

The series regularly defaults onto ableist tropes, memorably in its portrayal of Darth Vader, which links the villain’s physical disability with machinic inhumanity and moral deviance, presenting his technology-assisted breathing as a sinister auditory marker of danger and doom. What’s more, the bodies and voices centered in Star Wars have, with few exceptions, historically been those of white men

Indeed, a notable segment of the Star Wars fandom has aggressively advocated the (re)centering of white men in the franchise, with some equating recent casting decisions with “white genocide.” Additionally, the franchise’s cultural footprint can be tracked in the saga of United States military-industrial investment and expansion, from debates around Reagan’s “Star Wars” Strategic Defense Initiative to the planned Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (another “JEDI” program), sometimes winkingly framed with Star Wars allusions. Taken together, the controversies surrounding Star Wars make JEDI at best an inappropriate way to brand justice work—a kind of double-edged sword (or better yet, double-bladed “lightsaber”). At worst, this way of branding our initiatives is freighted with the very violence that our justice work seeks to counter.

I definitely recommend read the entire thing just for some cheap laughs. Even the authors CVs

 

[SiteSeer]

*yawn*

 

[BouncyFrag]

 

[Coolwhhip]

Yep crap like this gets clicks, all you need to do is remove your dignity and you can make some ad money.

 

[Quasicat]

When I got to the “White Genocide” part, all I could think about was when people were claiming Baby Yoda was responsible for genocide because of the egg fiasco. I love that little guy!

 

[spawn]

 

[M1chl]

These people have so much time on their hands. You can make this word salat about anything. Another shitlib take.

 

[Complistic]

Did The Onion change their name?

 

[ManaByte]

 

[InterMusketeer]

I've never heard of the term JEDI (which apparently stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion). Sounds dumb, and complaining about a dumb term because the Jedi in the movies fight with "phallic lightsabers" seems even dumber. A disgrace, really.

 

[///PATRIOT]

Sorry Op I wont give clicks and revenue to those racist assholes.

 

[Halo is Back]

 

[Kev Kev]

 

[Dr. Claus]

What happened to Scientfic American? 10-15 years ago I used to read this regularly and I don't remember it being so... blantantly anti-scientific and, to use their word: "Problematic".

 

[Saber]

Took from the funny pictures thread

 

[Deleted member 1159]

I raise you

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[badblue]

Why the fuck is Scientific American publishing crap like this? What's scientific about analyzing the culture of not real space wizards?

 

[K' Dash]

can't wait to see this thread on reeeeeeeeeee with 10K replies and a ban graveyard the first ten pages until there are only soy beta male feminists posting.

 

[mansoor1980]

 

[Dusktildawn48]

Please no one click the link, these fuckheads don't deserve the revenue.

 

[Gp1]

Sorry Op I wont give clicks and revenue to those racist assholes.

Since when Scientific American became like this?

 

[daveonezero]

Listen to the science you dumb stupid masses. They clearly know better than you.

 

[Master Of Illusion]

Dumb.

Although, it's the Jedi's hypocritical bullshit that turned Anakin to the dark side, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[DeafTourette]

There's woke and then there's crap like this ... WOW! Fools have really gone off the deep end and made "woke" into a meme.

I remember when it just meant to wake up to social issues. Now it's become a parody. Smh

 

[DeepEnigma]

Since when Scientific American became like this?

Since every institution has been infected with the cult plague.

There's woke and then there's crap like this ... WOW! Fools have really gone off the deep end and made "woke" into a meme.

I remember when it just meant to wake up to social issues. Now it's become a parody. Smh

Slippery slopes and all that jazz, eh?

 

[dcll]

These crazy college kids acting ridiculous are nothing to worry about they said…..

 

[DeepEnigma]

These crazy college kids acting ridiculous are nothing to worry about they said…..

It’s an indoctrination farm. But that was called tinfoil at one time.

 

[Lunarorbit]

Yikes. You can tell the author was trying too hard with the amount of SAT words used

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

 

[IDKFA]

Articles like this make me want to take the red pill.

Star Wars promotes "toxic masculinity" because duels are resolved violently with "Phallic Lightsabers"?!?!.............

 

[NickFire]

There's woke and then there's crap like this ... WOW! Fools have really gone off the deep end and made "woke" into a meme.

I remember when it just meant to wake up to social issues. Now it's become a parody. Smh

It was always a parody. The unnatural hair colors, other copycat weirdness to make them unique, etc. Clownshoes from day 1.

 

[6502]

Whoever wrote this is mentally ill and needs to go to a crisis centre.

 

[ClanOfNone]

"Scientific" American eh? Sounds about right, but it reads like an Onion article.

idontwanttoliveonthisplanetanymore.jpg

 

[Trogdor1123]

They do know star wars isn't really, right?

 

[SJRB]

 

[DeepEnigma]

They do know star wars isn't really, right?

Neither is their brainwashing for all that is lunacy, but here we are. Being demanded that we entertain their delusions.

 

[O-N-E]

What’s more, the bodies and voices centered in Star Wars have, with few exceptions, historically been those of white men

Why do these types try to delete humanity and replace it with terms like "bodies"? Shut the fuck up.

One thing the article got right though is the Jedi mind trick is actually the most evil power in the franchise. Should be a Sith move.

 

[jufonuk]

 

[DeafTourette]

It was always a parody. The unnatural hair colors, other copycat weirdness to make them unique, etc. Clownshoes from day 1.

I think we have different ideas of what the term "woke" originally meant.

 

[Kenpachii]

Another reason why people don't take scientist shit serious anymore.

Somebody should make a article, because of this guy we have people that don't vaccinate because u can't trust people anymore in scientist field.

See how he likes it when he gets bombarded by his own idiocy.

 

[O-N-E]

I think we have different ideas of what the term "woke" originally meant.

It meant "I'm better than you because I have no principles and shift wherever the twitter winds blow".

 

[p_xavier]

Star Woke - Jar Jar Bedtime Stories

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Titania McGrath writes for Scientific American?

 

[DeafTourette]

It meant "I'm better than you because I have no principles and shift wherever the twitter winds blow".

"Woke" was a thing LONG before Twitter existed. It goes back to the 90s, at least. And it DID mean "awake to social issues". Not this BS you're talking about or what it's seemingly devolved to.

Edit: you were "woke" if you became aware of, and knowledgeable about, issues facing police brutality, evolved racism, Jewish and Palestinian oppressions, religious dogma that's out of line with the books they claim to follow, politics of war, homelessness, housing issues, medical issues, financial issues, politics in general, etc.

 

[Dr. Claus]

"Woke" was a thing LONG before Twitter existed. It goes back to the 90s, at least. And it DID mean "awake to social issues". Not this BS you're talking about or what it's seemingly devolved to.

Edit: you were "woke" if you became aware of, and knowledgeable about, issues facing police brutality, evolved racism, Jewish and Palestinian oppressions, religious dogma that's out of line with the books they claim to follow, politics of war, homelessness, housing issues, medical issues, financial issues, politics in general, etc.

No. Woke always referred to self-important narcissists who pretended like they gave a shit about worldly issues either to convince themselves that they weren’t living an empty life, or others for social clout. At most they would go out and pretend to do stuff, to “protest” just so they can brag about it to their friends and colleagues.

The people who actually gave a shit, the ones who really protested, tried to make a tangible difference. They weren’t woke. They were activists.

And before you say it, No. Being woke and being an activist is not the same thing. They are inherently incompatible. They are oil and water. Being woke is nothing more than base slacktivism. Being woke means you are a joke.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Woke was always..."I get it. You don't."

Created by babies, for babies.

 

[Sabotage]

So, science fiction commenting on science fiction?

 

[Punished Miku]

Whoever wrote this is mentally ill and needs to go to a crisis centre.

nah, it's actually extremely easy to do this with literally anything. I could write stuff like this. Just pick a topic and tell us why it's racist, sexist, ableist, etc. The more extreme the claim, the better. Just shoot for the most ridiculous assertion possible and say it with a bunch of word salad and decent vocabulary that you get from a liberal arts degree.

The only problem is the people that actually believe this crap, or the companies that act on it.

 

[Gp1]

nah, it's actually extremely easy to do this with literally anything. I could write stuff like this. Just pick a topic and tell us why it's racist, sexist, ableist, etc...

Then the author put on his/her/they/xo/zzz ResearcherID something like "Sociology article published in Scientific American".
Welcome to beauty of the academic world (specially in arts).

 

[Sgt.Asher]

Defunding the mental institutions was a mistake.