#why tf is asian raceplay a real fucking tag on here

[vanaglori-ah]

the brothers sun is such a good show but goddamn do the politics suck ass.

it has meaningful things to say about intergenerational trauma, misogyny, and patriarchy. but it's just so bogged down by its determination to uphold the systems at play.

spoilers below

the constant assertion that alexis kong isn't police but she works for a racist, white supremacist system is absolutely hilarious. she upholds the laws that put marginalized people at risk. her being a prosecutor is no better. skip intro's video on law and order and how prosecutors uphold the system is a great video essay to look at this issue in particular. she's says she's not police but acts like a fucking cop. she works with police, with the fbi.

grace. good god grace. i wanted her to be done better. the idea that the boxers are in the wrong for retaliating against their oppressors with violence, when they are constantly met with violence, is so neoliberal and unfair. her reaction to fighting back is reasonable. and furthermore, there's an implication that the immigrants in the community centers that the boxers set up are basically indoctrinated into the boxers. the show implies that community care and support leads to people trying to kill other people.

the systems at the end of the show are upheld. there's no disruption, no overhaul. systems of oppression, at the end of the day, need to stay. it's fucking insidious to promote that message in a show that wants to talk about breaking cycles and freeing themselves from the influence of oppressive power structures.

it's not actually even about freedom. it's about getting to the top and wielding the power of the oppressor. and the show never wants to go into how that's just a veneer used to continue oppression. just not. for. you.

a tumblr post cannot dive fully into this show. i have so much to say about it. good things, bad things, and ugly things. but like this summarizes my thoughts on the show's misguided politics.