J.E.D.I. = Justice Equality Diversity Inclusion
- Thread starter GURPS
- Start date
Scientific American Says Jedi Are Problematic White Saviors, Practice Toxic Masculinity
Among the evidence the article cites:
The article concludes by saying readers who might react defensively should ask themselves why they’re “[prioritizing] the cultural dreamscape of the Jedi over the real-world project of social justice.” It asks finally, “How eager are we to fight Star Wars’ battles, when that time and energy could be better spent fighting for social justice?”
This appears to be part of an overall shift Scientific American has made in becoming more political.
In 2020, for the first time in its 175-year-history, the magazine endorsed a presidential candidate. The editors said they were “compelled” to urge their readers to vote for Joe Biden over Donald Trump because Trump proved during the course of the pandemic that he “he rejects evidence and science.”
Among the evidence the article cites:
- [The Jedi] are a religious order of intergalactic police-monks, prone to (white) saviorism and toxically masculine approaches to conflict resolution (violent duels with phallic lightsabers, gaslighting by means of “Jedi mind tricks,” etc.)…
- Star Wars arguably conflates “alienness” with “nonwhiteness,” often seeming to rely on racist stereotypes when depicting nonhuman species…
- [The] franchise’s cultural footprint can be tracked in the saga of United States military-industrial investment and expansion, from debates around Reagan’s “Star Wars” Strategic Defense Initiative to the planned Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure…
- Those unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Star Wars—including those hurt by the messages it sends—may feel alienated by the parade of jokes, puns and references surrounding the term JEDI.
The article concludes by saying readers who might react defensively should ask themselves why they’re “[prioritizing] the cultural dreamscape of the Jedi over the real-world project of social justice.” It asks finally, “How eager are we to fight Star Wars’ battles, when that time and energy could be better spent fighting for social justice?”
This appears to be part of an overall shift Scientific American has made in becoming more political.
In 2020, for the first time in its 175-year-history, the magazine endorsed a presidential candidate. The editors said they were “compelled” to urge their readers to vote for Joe Biden over Donald Trump because Trump proved during the course of the pandemic that he “he rejects evidence and science.”