“Feminism” in The Last Jedi (Or in Other Words, How Racism Has Been Cloaked in a Way to Appeal to the ‘Woke’ Millennial Demographic)

[Spoilers Ahead]

The Last Jedi premiered on December 15th, 2017. The roles of Leia Organa, Rose Tico, and Amilyn Holdo and their interactions with Finn and Poe Dameron has led many journalists to conclude that this latest installment in the Star Wars franchise as a win for feminism. (Busch, 2017; King, 2017; Bell, 2017; Robinson, 2017). I say this claim is absolute bullshit.

Leia slapping Poe, someone who is under her power and command, for a cheap cut scene and striking him so hard he hits a wall is the brutal exploitation of Latino pain and literal abuse. This is not feminism.

Rose tasing Finn on sight and then dragging him for ‘comedic effect’ is a perpetuation of stereotypes of black criminality and exploitation of black pain. This is not feminism.

Holdo, someone who we’re supposed to respect as a leader, refusing to tell those under her command of a plan that places all their lives at stake due to pettiness and the matriarchal need to teach Poe a lesson is a practice of infantalization and uplifts the alleged moral superiority of white women. This is not feminism.

Holdo and Leia, two white women in positions of power, looking at each other and speaking suggestively of a Latino man twenty years their junior while he’s unconscious is a practice of fetishization and perpetuates harmful stereotypes of Latino hypersexuality. This is not feminism.

Rose and Holdo continuously belittling, undermining, and treating two black and Latino men like literal children are acts of infantalization and uphold racist stereotypes of black and Latino incompetence and irrationality. This is not feminism.

“Feminism” that derives from racism is not actually feminism. It’s just plain racism.

In The Last Jedi, both Finn and Poe Dameron are written into racist caricatures and justify the mistreatment they face at the hand of these women of the film. Finn is written in a way that embodies various racist stereotypes of black men: incompetent, gullible, and meant only for comedic relief. Poe is written to embody various racist stereotypes of Latinos: hot-headed, irrational, and misogynistic. These characterizations go directly against literal Star Wars canon. In The Force Awakens (TFA), the Poe Dameron Comics, and the Poe Dameron Flight Log, Poe is consistently characterized as kind, selfless, committed to the Resistance, and respectful to everyone around him. In TFA and Before the Awakening, Finn is consistently characterized as loyal, brave, a strong leader, and an intelligent tactician. In other words, these characters are written directly against their established canon simply to perpetuate racist stereotypes against black and Latino men. For this reason, the treatment of their characters at the hand of these women is somehow justified.

This racist mistreatment of these characters is quite obvious to those who are familiar with canon, who know the basics of racism, and who take more than a quick surface level look at the interactions themselves. However, to those that are not familiar with these characters, these stereotypes, or do not take more than a ten second look at the film, it is easy to miss the racism and be convinced into applauding the alleged “feminist” themes this film can claim to be. This is particularly so for the millennial demographic, which has popularized social justice to the point where actual analysis of social issues can be met with disbelief and even acts of defensive attack. The current generation hold their performative “woke” pins with pride, not realizing that simply purchasing that overpriced pin from your local Walmart does not actually signify any work done on their behalf. This awareness of general principles of social issues and rhetoric allows millennials to happily consume that which they believe to be progressive and receive it at face value, yet unfortunately also results in far more sinister and concerning issues to persist.

It is through this way that the racism of the film can be brushed off under the cheap guise of “feminism.” Yet I urge my fellow Millennials to pause in their vigor, toss away the performative pins, and take a look at what’s right under our noses. Racism is alive and well in our current time, and no cheap “feminist” pin manufactured in a sweatshop is large enough to hide it.



References in case the links change/no longer work: