Impetus: Ghost in the Shell starring Japan’s own Scarlett Johansson attempts to create promotional meme; blows up in their face like Japan’s own bukkake
Honestly, I thought too much time had passed for me to bother talking about the white-washing of GITS. Sure, I’ve got lots of opinions about whitey taking over yet another story conceived and taking place in ‘ze Orient, but none of them would really be any different than the litany of white guilt white knights that are all over the internet crying over the injustice of it already.
I mean there was a movie about the Great Wall; of China, starring fucking Matt Damon of all the people on the face of the planet, so it shouldn’t be the least bit surprising that GITS would star a woman as Japanese as Scarlett Johansson as the lead character. I don’t think we’re that far off with a remake of Roots, starring Topher Grace as Kunta Kinte, or perhaps a rendition of Frida starring Blake Lively as the titular Frida Kahlo, and neither would be a surprise if such were to occur.
So there’s really nothing left for me to say anything about GITS, honestly. Disappointing, yes, surprising, not the least bit. I’m probably not going to see it, not out of protest or racial injustice, but that I probably won’t have the time, and I don’t think it’ll probably be remotely adequate. There are far more movies I’d rather see over GITS, that knowing me, I’ll not see because I don’t get out to the movies as much as I’d like to.
But good on the internet for taking the initiative and butchering yet another attempt at a forced meme and ultimately turning it into an ironic real meme, with the “I AM MAJOR” bullshit they’re trying. I love that GITS is basically trying to capitalize on the Straight Outta Compton meme, and hoping to be as effective at spreading the awareness, only for it to blow up in their faces like this. At least with Compton, it was successful in two ways, spoofing the general look and identity of the parental advisory stamp that everyone and their mother is innately familiar with, and the fact that it was ultimately marketing a movie about black people that actually starred black people; there wasn’t really that much fuel for white guilt white knights to fight back with not to mention that black people are off-limits towards criticism in today’s society.
GITS though? Not even close. There’s no part of me that believes the talking heads who concepted I Am Major will believe the “no such thing as bad publicity” when they see so many people using their own platform to hurl criticism back at them like rocks, regardless of how they’ll try and spin it. It’s undeniable that the property was white-washed, because Hollywood is racist and almost seems like the more people complain the more they’ll go to lengths to defy them, but much like every instance of human behavior, complaining on the internet, as entertaining and valid it may or may not be, almost never actually succeeds at getting anything to happen.
Regardless, I look forward to what the meme factory has to produce when a movie about Rosa Parks starring Angelina Jolie as Rosa Parks produced by a Jew and directed by Ang Lee is announced. Should be entertaining!
