People who think a movie about plastic dolls.

[moonshinegnomie]

People who think a movie about plastic dolls is trying to turn their kids gay or trans are now officially known as

Barbie Q’s

[lame54]

1. With a side of beans

[jaxexpat]

5. Or coleslaw and a bottle of Ski.

[Celerity]

54. In 1999, the SKI can and logo was redesigned with the phrase "Taste the Wake."

https://tinyurl.com/27utrfwp

[calimary]

42. And a bunch of plastic fruit.

[RockRaven]

2. You have already put more thought into this than they have, just to make that quip.

These idiots choose to be angry and outraged first, and look for a target second. It could literally be ANY film, tv show, book, song, magazine article, commercial, sporting event, etc. If the Barbie movie never existed the same exact chuckle-fucks would be screaming the same exact way about some different thing at the same exact moment. Their need to be loud and obnoxious is the root cause, it's got nothing to do with the subject of their yammering.

[calimary]

9. Good point!

WTF is WRONG with those jerks?

On second thought, I'm not that interested in their excuses, and I care even less.

[AltairIV]

18. In a nutshell...

"Those idiots choose to be angry and outraged first, and look for a target second." That is the entire essence of their existence. Life has passed them by, the new technology confuses them, society has accepted and welcomed those once considered outsiders or hidden from view and they are frightened and scared and desperately want to go back. F*ck them, leave them behind.

[LastDemocratInSC]

19. A concise statement

especially about having been passed by in American life (largely their own choice) and society's increasing acceptance of previously shunned "outsiders" (validating the maxim that "prejudice rarely survives one's experience&quot .

[czarjak]

53. "Nothing you say will change my mind."

My neighbor refuses to concede that facts and truths aren't negotiable. (Still taking Trump too)

[Celerity]

55. your neighbour is a cognitively flawed, scientifically programmed wazzock

[czarjak]

56. Wrong, and damned proud of it. Republican Strategist.

[Celerity]

57. Wrong? Anyone who thinks that objective facts are negotiable is a fool in my book, & a dangerous one

[czarjak]

58. Talking about my neighbor being the proud boy.

[Backseat Driver]

63. How my "willfully ignorant" fundie zealots family were registered Dems at their end

is beyond me. I'd bet that pointed rage toward GQP would be okay, though? I tried to help by following rules I had learned; then I, the apparent scapegoat of their discontent, tried to escape all people without rage boundaries when they asked me never to speak to them again. Speak?--I wouldn't listen either! More familially infectious than a pandemic they were, and I naive. So when you finally sever the lies and gaslighting, it's difficult to live with one's consequences for attempting to be kind, compassionate, and utterly failing to make a dent; just give them what they claimed they've always wanted. Just never stopped trying to learn better ways of living, practical in the challenge, yet kind, but that's always left me anxious and frustrated on the journey of past, present, and future, so if I rant it's because I'm still pretty gullible to the "learned" authoritarian parts of my past. I apologize! that I have no kindness for that betrayal anymore!

DARK series (Netflix) character says you die 3 times: 1st when you lose naivete; 2nd when you lose innocence; 3rd time for good when you end up a "twinkle." Back then, you were adult at 21; I entered "woke" at 19 by not following their rules any longer. The signs of the 3rd death coming soon are all around; everything's connected. Maybe? Why? keep being the questions I need answered - What method will fate choose. I've needed some better mantras to change what's fated for me in my world; to accept the seeded responsibilities, to trust and accept the consequences of "staying too long at the fair," by "obeying their rules." that I willingly chose not soon enough and then promised in error. DU supports me accepting the consequences, past and present...I still hope for the future though what may come before that time is indeed pretty terrifying.

[republianmushroom]

3. I like it

[ALBliberal]

4. Oddly I knew nothing about this movie until I saw posts

on DU that the right wing is condemning it! So now I have to see it. Taking my daughters and mother in law! Can’t wait! (Unintended consequences?)

[Conjuay]

41. gotta wear pink, you know.

My son said people going to see barbie were all wearing pink, while those queuing for Oppenheimer were wearing black. He said some people appeared to be in the theaters to see both, and were wearing pink AND black.

Shades of Rocky Horror Picture show.

[rsdsharp]

6. I have no interest in, or intention to see this movie.

Not because of manufactured political outrage, but because I have no interest in a film about dolls, let alone a live action movie about dolls who are supposed to be 19 and 17, and who are played by actors who are 33 and 42, respectively.

[orleans]

10. same. AND

i didn't give a shit about barbies when i was a kid -- i don't care about them now.

and

i don't have a kid bugging me to take them to see the movie.

my kid (who is grown up) liked the disney princess dolls but she didn't give a crap about the barbies either.

[rsdsharp]

11. The only interest I had in Barbie growing up

was to pull the heads off of my older sister’s to piss her off.

[orleans]

38. i laughed out loud when i read this! thanks for the laugh; much appreciated. nt

[William Gustafson]

50. I use to tell my sister...

That GI Joe came in an violated her and Ken just stood there, watching....

[NJCher]

13. I used Barbie & Ken to conduct sex ed classes

I think I was about 8, maybe 9 or 10, when I formed my little semiinars. Here were the results:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=18110035

[orleans]

39. that's pretty funny. nt

[kskiska]

37. Same here.

I was too old for a Barbie Doll. Mine were baby dolls that didn't do much of anything except say "Mama."

[orthoclad]

17. Barbie is plastic

Literally.

Plastic is burying us.

[soldierant]

21. I certainly see your point.

But Kate McKinnon is also in it.

[CrispyQ]

22. Besides, the best of Barbie has already been done.

Enjoy the ride.

[Wednesdays]

32. My fave portrayal of Barbie was in Toy Story 2

IIRC, Barbie was voiced by Jodi Benson, who also voiced Ariel in the original Little Mermaid.

[meadowlander]

25. Barbie's not my thing

but lots of people are still passionate about things they loved as kids (Star Wars, Legos, Transformers, GI Joes, comic book characters, sports teams etc.). There's nothing wrong with that and I don't think being judgmental about other peoples' childhood passions accomplishes anything or, frankly, says much about your own level of maturity.

Also, Barbie may have been initially marketed as 19 but many of her "careers" like doctor, business executive, president, judge, astrophysicist, etc. skew older. Age has always been a bit fluid and besides the point in the Barbie-verse. A welcome relief to women who are told by society that their value starts to wane at 25 and disappears completely in their mid 40s.

I was never really into dolls but I can see how people like Barbie. Back in the 50s and 60s it was one of the first toys to start changing mentalities about women in the workplace. Most dolls before Barbie emphasized maternal caregiving for the child but Barbie is more about projecting ambition for girls and women once they grow up. It was also one of the first mainstream companies to have more diversity in its dolls.

Mattel has copped reasonable flak for promoting unrealistic standards of beauty and contributing to body images issues for girls. If you want to continue critiquing Barbie along those lines, fine. But "yuck, dolls!" and Margot Robbie is too old (at 33!) to play a beauty icon just smacks of the kind of misogyny that girls have been putting up with since the second they stepped out of the house and onto a playground with boys.

[rsdsharp]

34. I'm not being judgmental about other people's passions.

If they want to see the movie, more power to them. I didn’t denigrate them. I sure as hell didn’t say “Yuck, dolls.” The movie is not for me. Neither is soccer, men’s or women’s. I won’t follow the World Cup. If you choose to, have at it.

Barbara Millicent Roberts’ age was established by Mattel as being 19. In all the years of Barbie, and there have been 64 of them, Barbie’s appearance has remained that of a 19 year old, regardless of what “profession” she is practicing. If you can show me where Mattel has said she’s aged, fine. I don’t think you can.

Is it also “misogynistic” to point out the silliness of a 42 year old male playing a 17 year old? They couldn’t find any actors more age appropriate to the roles. I’d suggest you not call this 69 year old ageist.

[meadowlander]

36. I'm not really into comic books,

but I've seen most of the Marvel films and a lot of them are really good because they aren't ultimately about comic books - they're about friendship, family, overcoming our weaknesses, standing up for what's right, creative problem solving, etc. All the big universal stuff.

I'm not really into sports but Bend it Like Beckham is one of my favorite films and I love Hoosiers, Ted Lasso, Breaking Away, etc. They aren't really about the sports but about telling human stories well.

So if the Barbie movie gets great reviews and wins awards, I'll probably see it even though I'm not that into Barbie. From what I can see in the trailer, it's not a film "about dolls" but a film about growing up and moving beyond fantasy while retaining that spark and passion that makes you you and gives you joy. Sounds interesting and it would be a shame to write it off because "it's just a film about dolls".

And as I said above, Barbie and Ken's ages are completely beside the point and always have been within the stories themselves. The point is that your age is the least interesting thing about you compared with what you do. And that's a powerful and necessary point to make to women and girls (still) who are told by our culture that their age contributes to their worth.

Ken's point is that he supports Barbie no matter what and doesn't feel threatened by her success. Who gives a shit if he is 17, 42 or 109? He's there to be a role model for little girls of the type of man they should be looking for in their life when so many of them have fathers and brothers and uncles and grandfathers and peers who tell them to sit at the back of the bus and not make too much fuss. That outshining a man makes them a "bitch" and that nobody will love them unless they subsume all of their life's ambitions into propping other people up.

[rsdsharp]

40. Nicely said, and you made your point without name calling.

MY point, is that I should be allowed to make my own choices, for my own reasons, as should everyone. I don’t have to “Try it you might like it,” because you, or anyone else, did.

[meadowlander]

52. I'm not asking you to see the movie.

I'm asking you to have a greater awareness of the cultural context your comments are falling into. I'm asking you to think about the women and girls in your life and the ones reading this board and the cultural messages that your comments reinforce.

Like the ten million messages a day sent to little girls that the things they like are stupid and less than the things little boys like.

Like the hundred million messages a day that tell them their worth comes from their youth and beauty not their skills or personality.

You didn't have to stop by and spend part of your day commenting on why you don't want to see this movie and to let everyone know "I have no interest in a film about dolls!" "And I'm certainly not going to see a movie with a 33 year old actress cast as a 19 year old in it!" You don't see me wasting my time in the baseball forum complaining about how tedious baseball is and then insisting "you can't make me watch it" and "it's just not for me!"

I'm just asking you to reflect honestly about why you felt the need to do that. You absolutely can make your own choices. I'm just asking you (and anyone with a habit of casually trashing "girly" things) to consider making better and more thoughtful ones. Nobody here cares if you see the movie or not except to the extent that your public insistence that you won't see it because "it's a film about dolls" reinforces negative misogynistic cultural messages for women and girls that their interests are trivial and bad.

Why not be a bit more open minded? Why not try to see things from the perspective of someone different from you? Or at a minimum why not hold back from trashing something just because you don't know that much about it and it isn't to your taste? Save your $12 if you want and watch something else. But think about the things that you say and write and how they impact others.

It's totally up to you.

[rsdsharp]

64. You are seriously stretching to try to be offended by what I wrote.

I’m done.

[Snooper9]

62. "a role model for little girls of the type of man they should be looking for in their life"

I certainly hope not he's "just Ken" LOL

[PatrickforB]

7. LOL - good one!

[Wonder Why]

8. The movie is just one big ad for Mattel and all the collectors who

have probably tripled the value of their collections, anyway.

[ShazzieB]

12. People are actually saying that? How bizarre.

[niyad]

14. SNORT!!!!!!

[PatSeg]

15. Oh, that's perfect!!!

[Iggo]

16. We already call half of 'em Barbies, and not in a nice way.

Been that way for decades.

[housecat]

28. Are barbies like karens?

[Iggo]

35. Simn. (lol...they wouldn't let me put an "o" with an accent mark in the subject line.)

Last edited Sat Jul 22, 2023, 07:23 PM - Edit history (1)

Simón.

[MiHale]

20. That's great! 👍👍👍👍

[paleotn]

23. Well done. Far more succinct than...

weak little whiny shits.

[11 Bravo]

24. They are the same people who believe that mermaids (which don't actually exist) ...

are definitely white.

[MLAA]

26. Hilarious!

You win the week!

[Snackshack]

27. They have always

...had a hardon for ken and barbie. These are the same people who saw penis outlines... in the cartoon dust clouds of The Lion King... Lilo & Stitch were apparently rabidly climate change influencers, i guess. I don't think there has been a running of Snow White in a theater since it was released that they have not taken umbridge with one of the Dwarves and as 1 person told me a longtime ago about the movies.. "it turns kids gay"... I literally had the same reaction to this that Colonel Landa did when he heard she broke her leg mountain climbing...

[meadowlander]

30. Three guesses why

but I'll be surprised if you can't get it in one:

[Jim__]

29. Barbie - main trailer

[Mysterian]

31. The angry liars on Fox "News" keep the bumpkins in a perpetual state of outrage

It's amazing how many gullible idiots walk among us.

[Initech]

33. Any man who thinks that his sexuality is being threatened by the Barbie movie...

You've got a lot more problems than a movie whose target audience is young girls. Seek professional help immediately.

[kimbutgar]

43. I'm so sick of these bs feigned outrages that are so STUPID!

[TreasonousBastard]

44. I have no interest in anything Barbie, but if anyone can pull this...

off, it's Margo Robbie.

Movies are fantasy anyway.

[JanMichael]

51. Yep. Plus a great cast. Robbie and Gosling are both just great.

The rest of the Barbie's and Kens are also stacked with talent.

It's just a movie.

[LiberalFighter]

45. How many boys tortured dolls or just made fun of them?

Were any of them gay?

How many young girls played with dolls? And later in life it didn't keep them in that frame of mind?

[Trueblue Texan]

46. Gotta share this with my son-in-law, pun master! nt

[AKwannabe]

47. Oh! That is effing funny!!! nt

[Trueblue Texan]

48. Gotta share this with my son-in-law, pun master! nt

[Tetrachloride]

49. Without dolls, some guys don't know what a girl looks like

[Danascot]

59. Barbenheimer

The underlying premise of all the jokes — that these films come out on the same day but are about hilariously different subjects and have wildly different tones — is misguided. The two movies actually have a fundamental, and disturbing, common ground. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind our nuclear age, and Barbie — a toy that takes more than three cups of oil to produce before it lingers in landfills around the world — both tell the story of the dawn of our imperiled era.

I was puzzled and amused when I read that people were linking the two movies. However the essay the above quote is from is thought provoking.

‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ tell the same terrifying story
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/19/barbie-oppenheimer-movies-anthropocene/

This piece is pay-walled. If anyone can provide a link to a non-paywall version it would be helpful.

[wryter2000]

60. Love it

Could I get some ribs?

[AllaN01Bear]

61. i hate it whey they say" turn gay" ive always been gay and mum knew it but

kept it to her self.