Let’s face it, Harry Potter couldn’t get the job done. And what happens to the father and son team at the end of The Road? Do they save the world? Highly questionable.
Thankfully, we moved over to Bella Swan as the protagonists stuck between two suiters. But she’s really not out to solve much on a global basis, only resolve matters of the heart between human and vampire worlds. The best we have had thus far is Lisbeth Salander when it comes to a modern era Superman/Bond world savior. But her world view is limited to a small northern European country.
With less than a week left until the premier of The Hunger Games, far more is at stake than ever before. The future of the world depends on the cunning and courage of Katniss Everdeen.
So the obvious question is: where is the Katniss Everdeen in real life? The way things are going we could sure use some help.
“Does it take a Woman to Save the Earth?”
Only in Hollywood Tom.
Does it take a Woman to Save the Earth? Maybe its the wording of the question that’s causing pedastalizing women thing here. Are women a part of what’s needed to save the earth? Sure if for no other reason that they live on it. Are we going to need team work to save the earth? Yes because everyone is not the same but we all have to chip in. But when its worded as if one group is the one and only thing needed to save the world then that’s when the pedastals come out. But at least you didn’t… Read more »
Danny: “But at least you didn’t say, “If women ran the world there would be no wars.” Because we know that women never resort to violence right?”
No, Danny. But the wording here isn’t any better.
My god, is this going to become a trend here with The Hunger Games where the female protagonist is celebrated and worshiped at the expense of the male characters? Because it’s pretty insulting as a fan to have people practically forget about Peeta since the books were not about Katniss as “grrl power”, “Female against the patriarchy” trope.
Perhaps we’d all be in a better position to live well on the Earth if we had a more balanced view of gender. Could there be a Father Earth in addition to a Mother Earth. Story-teller and poet Clarissa Pinkola Estes (Women Who Run with the Wolves) thinks so. Her poem, Father Earth has inspired me for years: Father Earth There is a 2 million year old man, no one knows. They cut into his rivers. They peeled wide pieces of hide from his legs. They left scorch marks on his buttocks. He did not cry out. No matter what… Read more »
Thank you Jed, it made my eyes wet. 😮
One thing I wonder about this whole “women are better at this an that and bring more diversity” thing. From what I have seen that women leaders actually only look after womens needs, at least that is the way it has been in North America for the last 30+ years. I wonder how that single focus on womens issues would work in the main stream company. I also think it is dangerous and foolish to think that the ways in which these women in charities are working would work when you have shareholders breathing down your necks. Right now from… Read more »
What an odd question in the title. From the standpoint of the planet itself, “The Earth” has never been saved, has never needed saving, and “The Earth” does not actually need saving now. Humans are nowhere close to being able to actually destroy the planet. We could destroy most of the life on the planet, but that’s not the whole planet. It was just fine before we arrived and will be just fine after we’re gone. Such hubris to think a whole planet could be in danger, and such hubris to equate “humanity” with “the Earth.” All you Homo sapiens… Read more »
@wellokaythen: “Homo sapiens sapiens”
“Sapiens sapiens” is often an overestimation. 😆
Although “homo” is often “erectus”, he’s not really “habilis” all the time. 😉
Jokes aside, I agree with all you said.
The planet will be fine. We, OTOH, might be doomed.
By the way, it’s real rich of you MichelleG to link propaganda from “The White House Project” where Barack Obama and his cabinet, when faced with a dwindling economy and a huge multi-billion dollar package for support, eventually caved to the poking and proding of women’s groups and distributed that money only to sectors where the majority employed were women while leaving sectors domianted by men like construction in the lurch.
According to the “The White House Project Report: Benchmarking Women’s Leadership” notes that, the vast majority of workers in the nonprofit sector (73 percent) are women, and research shows that their leadership would help America out of the current economic crisis and prevent future crises. Women also tend to bring diverse viewpoints and transparency on various issues to the table; their leadership style make institutions responsive, accountable and ethical; and women leaders are more likely to work through differences. These are just a few of the many strengths highlighted in the report. http://thewhitehouseproject.org/documents/Report.pdf “The current economic and financial crisis, the… Read more »
@MichelleG: “research shows that their leadership would help America out of the current economic crisis and prevent future crises” While women can contribute positive leadership, opinions and attitudes for sure, thinking that women are better leaders just because they are women is misleading. It’s enough considering leaders like Margaret Thatcher (UK), Angela Merkel (Germany) or – God forbid 😉 – Imelda Marcos (Philippines), to see that women’s leadership can be as detrimental to a country as men’s, or they leadership style be more “masculine” that men’s itself. Regarding they coud “prevent future crises”, well… I never knew women have magic… Read more »
If you read into the PDF, there is independent research by the Harvard School of Business, who conducted several studies. You only noted 3 female world leaders, and two of them are lauded, that’s inconsequential evidence and misleading, in the grand scheme of things. We all know that women and men are not only biologically built differently, but our behaviorism are different on so many levels…whether it’s relationships, parenting, hobbies and interests, or leadership — we have unique strengths which we bring to all of them. Women have been running households and holding jobs, and rearing children, and a lot… Read more »
MichellG, just because women’s causes were margenalized doesn’t make it okay to pedestalize women and place them above everyone else. Men and boys are struggling in equal numbers with equal issues. You want their needs and desires to be put on the backburner while we appease the goddesses? May I remind you, and everyone else, that women are capable of hurting people and misuing power? Do I have to mention this for the billionth time whenever this tiresome argument that women are going to make the world a better place because they’re women is aided and abetted by people like… Read more »
“A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.” – Gloria Steinem
“Women also tend to bring diverse viewpoints and transparency on various issues to the table.” This is true, to the extent that a diverse leadership brings diverse viewpoints. The more variety you have in Congress/Parliament/whatever, the more you’ll have a proper representation of the population. There’s nothing inherently gendered about that. As for transparency, well women are not inherently more transparent than men. As for the rest of your post, well actually I think Eagle34 and Valter provided excellent replies. I’ll add that by saying “women are better at such-and-such,” you are treating women as if they are a homogeneous… Read more »
I get where you’re coming from…relativism. I totally understand your viewpoint Heather on everything.
Here’s the thing Michelle…I actually don’t get where you’re coming from. It looks like perhaps second wave feminism with a mix of biological determinism.
HeatherN: “Individual qualities and personality traits create a good leader, not their gender or biological sex.”
Yep. It’s all about the person, not the gender.
A moron is a moron is a moron, whatever the gender is. 😉
* edit, passed –>”past”
“and women leaders are more likely to work through differences. ”
No, really!
Just look at all those women fiercely fighting for child custody against their ex-husbands…
way to go for peaceful, reasonable, balanced attitude. 🙄
And what about the Sarah-Palin-like “mama grizzly” women? 😆
“So the obvious question is: where is the Katniss Everdeen in real life?” Tom, we don’t need a “superhero” to save the world. BTW, that’s a pretty childlike expectation; kinda like “Oh, we made a mess, now we need a parent (higher power) to make things straight”. It’s about not assuming responsibility. Whether you call that “higher power” figure God, Jesus, Allah, Superman or Batgirl, it’ll never work. We all (humans) are making the mess, what we need is our effort to make it straight. Either we are part of the problem, or part of the solution; men and women… Read more »
Um, so this article is lame. Sorry. For most of the reasons listed above.
So let’s move on and just talk about how excited we are for The Hunger Games! YAY! I am so excited. Who is not excited for this movie? (if you are not excited, the book takes like 6 hours to read)
Can’t tell if this dreadful article is real or satire.
In case it was meant in earnest —
I present the Mirny mine, the largest wound ever inflicted upon the Earth, a monument to female greed and vanity:
http://static.atlasobscura.netdna-cdn.com/images/place/mirny-diamond-mine.69.large_slideshow.jpg
It is also the largest gem-quality diamond mine in the world and the largest hole in the world.
Note the sickly pink color of this horrific open boil, which is visible from space. It is currently filling with an unspeakable mix of toxins, carcinogens, and terratogenic compounds — which will continue to leech into Russia’s aquafer for millenia.
You go girl!
i will come save the day…as soon as my superhero suit comes back from the dry cleaner 😀
I don’t understand. Gaia is the mother of all things of the earth, so the buck stops with her.
If either Zeus or Uranus were in charge, we wouldn’t be in this mess today.
Women are not gods, Elissa. And we shouldn’t be treating them as such.
And men are not Zeus or Uranus either so quit assuming this.
This reminds me of the episode of Politcally Incorrect that I saw where Michael Moore was saying that over fishing is all MENS fault. Until someone pointed out that women eat half of those fish.
Some of us eat a lot more than half…*cue joke drums*
That’s why I’m glad I live in a state with heavily regulated fishing and wetland protection laws. Seafood is cheap, plentiful, and good here in Maine. We take care of our wetlands and the places that fish spawn, meaning the fish always come back and our populations are good. Now bring on my third lobster.
Wha? I am very confused as to why this is here. I sort of don’t know what else to write except…yeah…confused. It’s a bit close to putting women on a pedestal – like if we only had a woman hero we could solve all the world’s problems – or something. Which isn’t exactly a great message…and it’s a bit of a strange one to have in an article on a website about men.
Yeah, I don’t get it either. If we’re going to treat women like human beings, an article like this doesn’t help. Putting them on a pedestal, even female fictional ones, does a disservice to their agency.
Well, let’s just hope Tom offers an explination for this.
I find that Tom flips flops between who he almost puts on pedestals. I think he just has a tendency to worship people, and I guess his flavor of the month is fictional female protagonists. I just find Tom to be inconsistent.
Though I am thankful for Tom and his crew for giving me a voice, you’re right Steph.
Women are 50% of everything that is wrong in the world today. I am one, taking responsibility for the fact that we are half the problem. As long as we look at it through the lens of power however we are doomed. Power is the issue, abused by both sexes, not gender. Going a bit deeper what I see is the artificial division between the mind and the body, homo sapiens and the rest of living beings and of course these manufactured divisions between men and women. So much hysteria, hatred, fear and insanity around the body. The body is… Read more »
Since my last comment was deleted I’ll try again. I highly disagree with this article and wonder what it’s doing here on a site that’s supposed to be for men from all walks of life, including those who have been hut by girls and women. Throwing your support behind a female character because you think male characters have failed to save the world, which I highly dispute since Harry defeated Voldomort in the end going by one of your examples, lends credence to society mocking and ostricising men and boys. They get enough of it in the media. They certainly… Read more »
One person cannot save the world.
Just what are you implying with this article? What, some male characters couldn’t save the world so let’s champion a female character to get it done? By the way, The Hunger Games Trilogy also has male characters who are three-dimensional and actually help Katniss out. The fact that you skip all that and go straight for the “She’s a woman and she’s going to save the world. Men couldn’t do it, so let’s cheer for her” reeks of misandric bigotry you know that? I really hope this article is tongue in cheek because if it is, may I remind you… Read more »
There is an epic scene in the movie “Stand By Me” where a couple of 10-11 year old guys back in the 1950s are having an earnest debate about whether Superman could win in a fight with Batman.
Yes it will take a Woman to save us… a Woman’s feminine Energy. The Earth has been out of balance with an over abundance of Male Energy for so long that we are all out of balance. The harmony of Male and Female is finally happening.
Terry: “Yes it will take a Woman to save us… a Woman’s feminine Energy. The Earth has been out of balance with an over abundance of Male Energy for so long that we are all out of balance. The harmony of Male and Female is finally happening.”
That female energy also has the ability to hurt as well. Or are you going to discount those who have been hurt by it like the majority of society does?
“Yes it will take a Woman to save us… a Woman’s feminine Energy.”
-.-
“The Earth has been out of balance with an over abundance of Male Energy for so long that we are all out of balance.”
If the Earth has been out of balance it’s been out of balance because both feminine and masculine energies have been acting like infants.
A mature feminine and a mature masculine is what will bring the earth back in balance. Not an immature masculine crying like a baby for more momma from an immature feminine crying for more daddy.
…
Ok, and what do you have to say to the perfectly manly men who spend all day every day coming up with solutions to tomorrow’s problems. The idea that if we just had more women in power, or more feminine energy (whatever the hell that is), everything would be fine is ridiculous.
Obviously the universe has never, ever been in balance in any way, shape, or form. Balance or equilibrium is something that humans imagine and try to impose on the universe, but it’s just as superstitious as the Tooth Fairy. (At least with the Tooth Fairy there’s a quid pro quo financial exchange….)
Unless the balance is that everything comes to an end eventually and the rain falls on the just and unjust alike. I guess that’s sort of a balance.
Terry will help you BEcome your authentic self: A person who has made the conscious shift from an out of balance existence as a HUMAN being (with limited abilities) to that of a centered human BEING (with infinite capabilities). The Spiritual information that Terry gladly shares will help you make the choices that you need to bring your biological BODY and MIND back into loving cooperation with your spiritual SOUL. You will finally BE in harmony with your world, and BE able to work directly with the Highest Universal Power to co-create your greatest life. Terry is now putting the… Read more »