Serious question: Can anyone recommend someone in academia who does (or has done) reputable research of transgender representation in media?
I'm hoping to get at least 3-4 people who know their shit and ask them about THAT SECTION in Space Quest IV. I'm interested in historical context, analysis of the subtext, and of course a judgment call on a deceptively simple question: Is SQ4 transphobic?
Why? Because if I'm going to make a video on a hot-button topic, I feel I'd better cover my fucking bases.
I am, however, also interested to hear from people who are trans (and are comfortable presenting online as trans) about the subject. DM me or swing me a line at contact@spacequesthistorian.com
@sqhistorian I know it's not really what you're asking for (this message was originally replying to your previous toot), but as a transgender person, I'd say the transphobic part is just the robot calling Roger "sicko".
Like, it's clear there's transphobia in that universe as evidenced by Roger and the bot's coded exchange, but I wouldn't say the game itself becomes transphobic until it decides to make Roger in a dress the butt of the joke.
Like, aside from that, I'd probably need a bit of a refresher, but I don't recall anything specifically transphobic. Sexist? Sure. Plenty. But transphobic? That one exchange.
I'm open to all chats about it. Hit me up if you wanna.
@Gwendolyn I'm very interested to hear your perspective! Do you want to move the discussion somewhere private or are you comfortable continuing it out in the open, so to speak?
@Gwendolyn Well, I guess you did answer most of my questions (e.g. is it problematic beyond Maebot's "sicko" response, etc.). My lingering question there, as far as the setup goes (as to who or what we're meant to be laughing at), what do you make of the narrator's "even though it was almost too enjoyable" line? Juxtapose it with Roger somewhat telling remarks in SQ6, like "I remember when I used to wear my mom's... uh, never mind" and "[I'm] a man trapped in the body of a woman. Wait."
@sqhistorian Ha! I just played through the game to refresh myself and I hit that line and I was just coming back to address that.
Yeah. If you were going to try and defend the game you could argue that portraying transphobia is not the same as the game itself being transphobic. While it's pretty clear that the "sicko" is meant to be a diss to trans people, you could say that the robot is just programmed to be that way. Now, I don't subscribe to that notion, but someone could.
Having the narrator say that, is not the game world portraying transphobia. The narrator is the voice of the game, and there's no defending against it. The game itself is being transphobic.
Since Roger is often meant to be portrayed as someone to be laughed at, he's used to make transphobic jokes. Maybe Roger actually is trans. His internal dialogue in SQ6 and the narrator in SQ4 seem to imply this. The way this is framed in the games is pretty clearly done to be laughed at.
So, yeah. The game itself, not only the world within it, is transphobic... and dear god... sexist.
@Gwendolyn OR... is it subtly portraying a man who isn't ready to admit to himself he might be trans? I get that it's probably what you say it is, and I'm probably reading too much into it... but the one part where I'm struggling a bit is whether or not it's definitively laid out as we're meant to laugh AT Roger. If he's trans, he's clearly still in denial of it, but it seems to be more out of fear of ridicule (which Maebot amply provides, unfortunately).
@Gwendolyn I think the narrator's line about "too enjoyable" is not so much a reflection of a transphobic outlook by the game (and, by that extension, of the writer), but a glimpse into a deeply buried internal conflict of the character. MAYBE. It's also very possible I'm being too charitable. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
@sqhistorian I do think you're being too charitable.
Using hand on the clothing rack plays out these two dialogue boxes. The second one is clearly not talking in Roger's internal voice and is criticizing him.
@sqhistorian 😕Yeah. Sorry. I would have definitely preferred your more optimistic proposal. Games meant a ton to me... I mean... still do.
Like, the transphobia is there, but at least it's not some real blatant anti-trans shit. Like, they could have really played up the "ugly man in a dress" shit, but from the dialogue portrait, and how characters treat Roger afterwards, it all treats him as a woman. Sure, there's the whole idea of gender stereotypes being played to here... but that's a different discussion.
Honestly, the idea that Roger could be trans kinda cracks me up because I grew up wanting to be a janitor because of Space Quest... and here I am... a trans janitor.
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