Covert Wallace: Someone Asked...

Covert Wallace: Someone Asked...:

covertwallace:

[Trigger warning: discussion of rape, rape culture, rape-related tropes found in Watchmen.]

gailsimone:

…so here we go.

One of my big problems with Watchmen is how stupidly the near-rape is handled. And it's EPIC stupid.

It's full of every dumbass cliche there is, and unfortunately,…

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Answering Deimos' comment here because of the goofy Tumblr formatting. He or she said: 

" I didn't think the slut shaming & victim blaming were supposed to be… approved by the narrative. (I never thought Hooded Justice stopped it because he was gay either). Not that the rest isn't problematic."

Ah, there is almost nowhere in the book that supports an opposing narrative. Moore's work of the time is full of oddball rape cliche, as well as some other stuff I hesitate to bring up, but that others have, that I am less knowledgeable about.

If you read the book, Silk Spectre II offers a weak defense of her mother's rape to the Comedian, who is (sickningly), heartbroken, in a scene that is supposed to humanize Eddie, but instead makes me think Alan had never at that point in his life spoken to a genuine victim of rape. It's nauseating.

Later, even Silk Spectre I poo-poos the idea that what Eddie did was so very bad.  Again, I have to think what Alan knew about rape could be put in a very small thimble.

I like the book. But it's got problems.