re: #25 Stanley Sea

PUKE

Ruined my night

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Polygon:

Can Supergirl survive Trump?

The night after the US election, like a lot of people, I was looking for some light escapism. It seemed the perfect time to catch up Supergirl; what better show to hide away from the state of the world with than one that’s been hailed for its optimism and progressive values since the release of its first trailer? I’d fallen behind on the series, so I ended up starting with an episode that had first aired in September. “Welcome to Earth” revolved around a female, Hispanic president signing an immigration reform bill into law.

Suddenly, I was right back in the real world. What had been cautiously optimistic when the episode had premiered just a few weeks before was now upsettingly fantastical. In the wake of Donald Trump’s win, a pro-immigration woman of color being elected president seemed less realistic than the alien trying to kill her.

As I kept watching, the disparity between Supergirl’s world and our own grew wider. Alex Danvers’ coming out story made me think about the danger LGBTQ people will be in under a cabinet that universally opposes their rights. An African-American James Olsen fighting crime in a hoodie and face scarf made me think of all the Black men and boys who’d been murdered for wearing the same. And while CEO Cat Grant may have left, the series’ commitment to continue featuring women in positions of power just made me think about how rarely they filled them in reality.

polygon.com