Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
Again, don't see why I need to just to please you. I said it was clearly a critique, so if you can't/won't understand that, I can't help you.
The handmaid's' tale
- Thread starter 8den
- Start date
Pickman's model
sunset spires and twilight woods
I understand what you said, I don't understand why you said it and so would appreciate clarification on that why point. Of course you don't need to if you don't want to. Seems to me it's a critique of mad xians so valid under Reagan, Bush Jr, Trump... Hard to see how something announced in April last year could be so presciently written as to critique something not then existing. No biggie, just curious.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
I don't need to explain myself just to indulge one person's obtuseness
no-no
Small robot you know
where is everyone in gilead? when they walk the streets there are plenty of security guys about, handmaids, wives and marthas but literally no one else.
What happened to all the non fertile women and men that aren't commanders? where is the general public? Was there a huge purge? Did that many people escape to mexico and canada? I'd like to see more of the coup.
Given that the population seems to be so low why are there armed security men everywhere? they don't seem to be in a guerilla war situation, there seems to be no resistance other than the group helping smuggle handmaids out.
What happened to all the non fertile women and men that aren't commanders? where is the general public? Was there a huge purge? Did that many people escape to mexico and canada? I'd like to see more of the coup.
Given that the population seems to be so low why are there armed security men everywhere? they don't seem to be in a guerilla war situation, there seems to be no resistance other than the group helping smuggle handmaids out.
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
My reasoning is that they must be marthas in women only factories or whatever. Guarded over by men in black with big guns.
I don't think it's been explained, though.
Pickman's model
sunset spires and twilight woods
yeh it's strangely quiet
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
most people will have fled, got out before they froze the womens bank accnts and all that. there arefields to be worked, factories and the colonies. As for the militarization of public life I assumed that was due to the form their xtian fascist state had taken, they go that way don't they, fash states? especially when at war
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
What I find most questionable in terms of the internal logic, is that the men, empowered by the gileadean morality, and by access to guns, are ok with the whole "only commanders can have wives/sex" aspect of things.
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
Men who transgress sex rules get beaten to death by the handmaids
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
Well yes. That would happen now. But the transition from USA to Gilead happened in stages. We've the number of commanders is tiny compared to the number of armed men. At what point did they say to those men, "oh, btw you're never having sex again. But we are. And we're going to forcibly remove your wives and girlfriends, some of whom we will pass between ourselves to repeatedly rape and father children by." Because the men with guns would have had to agree to that. Instead of shooting the comparatively small number of commanders.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
iirc from the book they were forbiden to wank either, sin of onan. So yeah, how long could you put up with that? I can only assume the armed men serving Gilead are the fanatics, true believers. Possibly some sort of horrific underground semi-sanctioned brothel situation...
no-no
Small robot you know
I suppose once your population has dropped to that extent you'd need to run the place like a prison to prevent anyone else from leaving. I'd been expecting some sort of ressistance/terrorist attacks to be going on even if only in the background but so far all seems quiet.
I thought the guards were free to marry non fertile women just like the commanders but they're not deemed repectable or pious enough to be assigned a handmaid to breed with.
Gilead can't last long in it's war, their population seems tiny and they need half their troops to secure their own country.
I thought the guards were free to marry non fertile women just like the commanders but they're not deemed repectable or pious enough to be assigned a handmaid to breed with.
Gilead can't last long in it's war, their population seems tiny and they need half their troops to secure their own country.
Idris2002
Stay Alive in '25
Yes, but with bonfires.
DotCommunist, in the book the underground brothels are for the elite, aren't they?
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
yeah, years since I read it mind. The 'Jezeebels' are supposed to feature in the show as well, I'm on ep 3 tho so...
The Fornicator
Active Member
I'm a little further into the series and while not giving anything away will say the questions grow.
It caused me to think; these dystopian worlds seem to work better if you stay narrow like, perhaps, The Road. The further you broaden from the central theme/characters, the more conceits you ask the public to accept. It's a shame if the implausibilities mount to the extent they distract.
no-no
Small robot you know
Yep, the thing with dystopian stuff is that it's the descent that's as interesting as the narrative itself. Every one has an implied prequel, i'm hoping they flesh it out in flashbacks.
no-no
Small robot you know
Was thinking about this, then i remembered places like jonestown. people are weird.
Plumdaff
increasingly dispiriting
My vague memories from the book are that the middle ranking men have wives, just no access to Handmaids maybe. Only on episode 3 of the TV series though.
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
This link had one of those browser hijack popups on.
FiFi
Hot Cross Bunny
Some time since I read the book, but yes. The wives of "poor men" wore a different colour cloak from the Handmaids
The Fornicator
Active Member
I've seen the end of the series now. I guess on balance I'm glad I stuck with it - uplifting in the end - although it got very sticky around e7 and e8.
Kind of interesting that this drama is being shown as, if we believe the media, the end for Raqqa draws near. There will be stories that make Sinjar pale.
Kind of interesting that this drama is being shown as, if we believe the media, the end for Raqqa draws near. There will be stories that make Sinjar pale.
That was almost word for word the quote we came out with on Sun when watching it.
no-no
Small robot you know
Northern Ireland is like Gilead?
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
im really impressed with this. brilliantly acted and shot, gripping, unbearably tense and totally nails the fear and invasive horror of a totalitarian state. It also pulls no punches with its politics - this is the end point of oppressive patriarchy, this is how the different pieces of religion, sex shaming, disempowerment, the reduction of women to property, the denial of control of their own bodies, the protection of male privilege and hierarchy fit together into an all encompassing misogynistic tyranny.
Yes- that's what we said.
no-no
Small robot you know
But what about the craic?
Hellsbells
World's best procrastinator
Was that the last episode yesterday?! The multiple flashbacks confused me.
