No silver linings playbook this...

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2013)

The comments regarding skewing the spirit of the Marvel comics not withstanding, plus a formulaic plot, I take a stand on the insidious way we are undermining our daughters.
Whenever a script has anyone use the term "pussy" as a sexist slur to mean a coward, we are reinforcing negative stereotypes of our daughters, sisters, and mothers, regardless.
And it goes by almost unnoticed, almost on a preconscious level.The movie industry would have us take "pussy" for granted as a normal every day nomenclature. We have come to take script writers use of this term for granted as if people in real life, folks from decent homes, who are trying to work on the life long process of learning and becoming better human beings, speak this way. As if most of us would not cringe if we heard an adult male "motivate" a young boy to action by asking him, "Do you want to be a pussy?" At this point in the plot, which is not that far in, I lost immediate total interest, and respect. "Pussy" as we all know, is the number two derogatory term for the vulva, next to the humiliating term "cunt", which is just as bad as the "n" word, yet I bet I would not be able to spell out the "n" word, even though there is nothing illegal about it when not used with the intent to intimidate or humiliate. We can use the "n" word liberally in our film scripts, just can't spell it out discussing films. Sexism still subsumes racism.
But we can spell out "pussy" and "cunt", not seeing the connection between the epidemic of violence against women as being directly related to the use of hate words to spread an under pinning of misogyny worldwide, as in domestic violence, rape, child brides, female genital mutilation, sex trade, honor killings... yeah, honor. The epidemic of American high school and college girls thinking "hooking up" up is liberating, when in fact it is subjugating and humiliating in the long run, sometimes not that long of a run.
"Pussy" means in our culture the female genitalia, in a derogatory, misogynistic fashion. Who can define "yoni" by contrast without Googling it? We never hear it.And yet Iron Man can tell a kid not to be a female genitalia, implying females are weaklings. Even if one were to glibly argue that "pussy" means "pussy cat", every one would snicker. As if felines were not ferocious fighters.
I hope other parents talk to their kids about the significance of words and how it shapes our reality. That they too caught Robert Downy Junior using "don't be a pussy" to goad on a little boy, and insult our daughters while he was at it. Tsk tsk, Robert, and I just saw you filming in our town. Pft