I was forced to read The Handmaid's Tale for English class and I really gotta say: I hate The Handmaid's Tale. I hate it more than virtually every other piece of written work in the universe from a pamphlet for a spa resort to The Illiad. It's a big fat steaming pile of horseshit that sucks ass, and I'm going to tell you exactly why.
Basically, it's fucking stupid. Having a shitty writing style and vaguely explained slightly nonsensical ideas is one thing, but trying to employ them through the whiniest and most depressing cunt of a narrator through a confusing "alternative" nonlinear story makes the book about as bearable as being continuously prodded in the buttocks with a dildo made of lava for all eternity.
First off, let's talk about the ideas presented in this clusterfuck of a novel. The story revolves around a system of government called Gilead which was created through a military coup d'etat after a national tragedy. Gilead is a totalitarian system of government which seeks to control the populous in order to increase falling birthrates...by subjugating and depressing all fertile women to the point of insanity and then giving them to elderly men and going "well why the fuck aren't they getting pregnant?" This would be bearable if the aforementioned elderly men weren't the goddamned geniuses capable of successfully orchestrating a government takeover.
Besides, don't you think attempting to subjugate an entire civilian population with very little effective propaganda seems a teeny weeny bit difficult? Because it is, in fact, it's extremely difficult. Historically, except in a few choice cases, this shitty attempt at an ideological revolution would not only be a failure, it would be a majorly absurd international fuckup of the highest degree. Like if a government made the decision to impose a uniform for every single civilian composed of a thong and crop-top made of toenail clippings. Nobody would fucking listen to the system and it would lose integrity and collapse, such as the Provincial Government of Russia in 1917 off the top of my head (about the loss of faith in government, not the toenails). How does the book deal with this? It doesn't, instead it makes the characters bitch and whine and say shit like "I yearn for the touch of another human". And what happens to the only fucking sensible character in this whole fuckfest? She turns into a prostitute and dies, as a lesson to say "if you're unhappy with the system and try to oppose it, you'll end up dying miserably"
And the goddamn characters, oh my God. Somehow, although the characters are distinct, the writer manages to make each and every one thoroughly and exceedingly dislikeable. And just to clarify, although the characters are distinct from each other, pretty much every character falls into a predetermined stereotypical static piece-of-shit character role; like: surly old housemaid, forbidden love, rebellious friend...etc And please don't even get me started on the main character and narrator: Offred.
Offred is the shittiest main character in the history of literature, including Mein Kampf. Everything that she narrates, from beginning to end fucking reeks of paranoia, cheap melodrama and the writer's repressed emotions of contempt towards the reader.
The problem is, Offred's is such goddamned useless miserable cunt. She just randomly goes "I don't want to tell this story" and entertains us with a motherfucking passage about fucking oranges that is never fucking referenced ever a-fucking-gain. I hate oranges. While we're on the topic of things that I hate, let's talk about the writing style.
The book is filled with literary crap. The writer seems to actively make it a point to make the book as difficult to get through a possible; from including fucking eggs in every section, to using multisyllabic garbage like lugubrious. What the fuck is a lugubrious? Because it sounds like an excessively unappetizing vegetable. And worse, it's not until page 160 (out of 270) that there's actually a storyline. Before that it's just Offred bitching about the system. One hundred and sixty motherfucking pages of miserable "inner thoughts and feelings" nonsensical bullshit. Literally the majority of the book can be removed without altering ANYTHING.
To put it in short, The Handmaid's Tale is the most awful book ever created and should only ever be picked up as a last resort by the terminally ill who cannot find other means of euthanasia.
Basically, it's fucking stupid. Having a shitty writing style and vaguely explained slightly nonsensical ideas is one thing, but trying to employ them through the whiniest and most depressing cunt of a narrator through a confusing "alternative" nonlinear story makes the book about as bearable as being continuously prodded in the buttocks with a dildo made of lava for all eternity.
First off, let's talk about the ideas presented in this clusterfuck of a novel. The story revolves around a system of government called Gilead which was created through a military coup d'etat after a national tragedy. Gilead is a totalitarian system of government which seeks to control the populous in order to increase falling birthrates...by subjugating and depressing all fertile women to the point of insanity and then giving them to elderly men and going "well why the fuck aren't they getting pregnant?" This would be bearable if the aforementioned elderly men weren't the goddamned geniuses capable of successfully orchestrating a government takeover.
 |
| Now that I've successfully taken over the government, I'm going to quit using any brain cells not associated with my penis. |
Besides, don't you think attempting to subjugate an entire civilian population with very little effective propaganda seems a teeny weeny bit difficult? Because it is, in fact, it's extremely difficult. Historically, except in a few choice cases, this shitty attempt at an ideological revolution would not only be a failure, it would be a majorly absurd international fuckup of the highest degree. Like if a government made the decision to impose a uniform for every single civilian composed of a thong and crop-top made of toenail clippings. Nobody would fucking listen to the system and it would lose integrity and collapse, such as the Provincial Government of Russia in 1917 off the top of my head (about the loss of faith in government, not the toenails). How does the book deal with this? It doesn't, instead it makes the characters bitch and whine and say shit like "I yearn for the touch of another human". And what happens to the only fucking sensible character in this whole fuckfest? She turns into a prostitute and dies, as a lesson to say "if you're unhappy with the system and try to oppose it, you'll end up dying miserably"
And the goddamn characters, oh my God. Somehow, although the characters are distinct, the writer manages to make each and every one thoroughly and exceedingly dislikeable. And just to clarify, although the characters are distinct from each other, pretty much every character falls into a predetermined stereotypical static piece-of-shit character role; like: surly old housemaid, forbidden love, rebellious friend...etc And please don't even get me started on the main character and narrator: Offred.
Offred is the shittiest main character in the history of literature, including Mein Kampf. Everything that she narrates, from beginning to end fucking reeks of paranoia, cheap melodrama and the writer's repressed emotions of contempt towards the reader.
 |
| Boop boop boop. I hate everybody |
The book is filled with literary crap. The writer seems to actively make it a point to make the book as difficult to get through a possible; from including fucking eggs in every section, to using multisyllabic garbage like lugubrious. What the fuck is a lugubrious? Because it sounds like an excessively unappetizing vegetable. And worse, it's not until page 160 (out of 270) that there's actually a storyline. Before that it's just Offred bitching about the system. One hundred and sixty motherfucking pages of miserable "inner thoughts and feelings" nonsensical bullshit. Literally the majority of the book can be removed without altering ANYTHING.
To put it in short, The Handmaid's Tale is the most awful book ever created and should only ever be picked up as a last resort by the terminally ill who cannot find other means of euthanasia.
y-e-s. Hulu just put out a trailer for the show and I was like... I effing hated reading that book in high school. It was a chore to get through. Maybe I should give it another go but I totally agree with you about the structure and narrator. It just dragged on and on. It was one of the hardest reads I had -- maybe I'll like it more as an adult.
ReplyDeleteYou're so eloquent. What're you doing stagnating your talents here? THE CITY NEEDS YOU!
DeleteI tried to read the handmaid's tale many years ago and couldn't, so I thought I'd have a go at the current series. I got 3 episodes in and COULDN'T. It went on and on and on, abuse, violence, boredom, mostly perpetrated against women by women. Along with this it was totally unbelievable. I skipped to the last episode hoping to experience some resolution but no such luck. I'm left wondering why anyone would want to watch this depressing pointless collection of violence,corruption and meaninglessness unless they were getting off on it.
DeleteGreatest arcticle ever!!! Agree 100
DeleteSome people say things like 'liberal propaganda for stupid people' who are pushing it on 'intelligent' people. Well, I see all this current Mike Pompeo shit and see all this evil of threatening fake enemies and so on and causing wars as where the propaganda really is. The Handmaid's Tale was written as fiction, the TV series done originally well before Pompeo became the government but it predicted a lot so far. People need to wake up and stop being fooled into believing the current regime is anything other than criminal slime. Gilead is realer than people think and fat Pompeo is doing all he can to make it so.
DeleteWTF does Pompeo have to do w/the price of tea in china in regards to the ridiculously retarded show HMT, the article about HMT, or anything? Delusional often? Get fever w/them fits?
DeleteI agree, a ridiculous joke offered up as an actual possibility? Come on? Absurd & feminists are actually afraid of this for a future?
DeleteMaybe not Pompeo, but Gilead is literally playing out before our eyes with the COVID hysteria. What's the diff between wearing a mask everywhere and wearing red... whatever (haven't seen the show, haven't read the book, don't plan to).
DeleteLol, this is exactly how I feel about it. I just saw the Hulu trailer, and was like, "ugh. NOT THAT BOOK."
ReplyDeleteThe timing is rather suspect, and I would assume it is related to a bash at the current administration.
I'm a woman, and not conservative, but I keep finding myself rather annoyed with the way Hollywood, mediocre authors, and a ton of soapboxed fellow progressives deal with their anger towards "the man." You know, the whole, "I'm going to make up a completely nonsensical future narrative about them, then say 'see this is what they want to do,' and then get angry at them for it, and hope everyone hates them, for my my completely implausible creation." That defines this poorly written, confusing, but somehow expected novel.
Yup....exactly. It's a cheesy, stupid attempt to say, "uh oh you guys look at what the ilk of Trump and Putin will do to us if we're not careful!!" I think E Moss is a great actor .... but obviously she needs employment. Pathetic. And for that I will say this: Elizabeth Moss looks like Jodie Foster............found in a river.
DeleteI'm willing to be my life you will like Maid Not For You. If not, that's okay... it's partly about a miserable c word
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThank fucking God there are other people who hate this book as much as I do. Ive been hearing all these wonderful things about so I finally folded and bought the damn thing. Well Im at page 120 and its absolute torture. Is everyone else going crazy. Im quite well read and this book is just shit. It is so poorly written. I saw the movie and thought the story line had promise but the poor, vauge, repetitive writing just ruined anything that could have been good about the dystopian society she created.
ReplyDeleteNothing says being well read like telling people you're 'quite well read'.
DeleteThere is S&M Porn on the internet that makes better sense about sexual politics than does this piece of crap. Correction, 99% of S&M Porn makes better sense about sexual politics than does this piece of crap.
ReplyDeleteThe Book and series A Handmaid's Tale is tripe. I agree with posts here. Total garbage.
ReplyDeleteAll of you are awesome. Handmaid's Tale is one of the worst things I have ever read.
ReplyDeleteOh no! You can't say that! Muh feminist authors! lol
DeleteI heard what it was about years ago and vowed never to read it and never did. I'm glad I wasn't forced to read it in school. Thank God!
ReplyDeleteMe too! So glad I read the Scarlet Letter-actually brilliant fiction and about a woman of SUBSTANCE not a WHORE like Atwood's Offred.
DeleteAside from all the other bullshit, what bothers me is the author never explains HOW the new world works. How does the economy even run? How does the country of Gilead have enough manpower to protect itself AND enforce the draconian society? Uh? Where do all the resources even come from to sustain that society? Who the hell are the trade partners? Atwood, being a Canadian, should fully understand that if the U.S. falls, so does it neighbor. No way in hell Canada remains free. Its naive.
ReplyDeleteI've always figured it's a feminist revision of 1984, so naturally like all "progressives" and other collectivists, it doesn't care about economics or how things work. It's all about the Narrative.
DeleteProbably just like in the real world: Saudi Arabian oil. Gilead = Mike Pompeo and all that shower of wasters.
DeleteSaying A = B is a half assed explanation with no correlation between the two
Delete'Muh oil''cause 'Pompeii'
Smh🙄
Fantastic! I thought I was the only one who thought this was crap,half assed story and awful characters who made me feel like I couldn't care less what happens to anyone.
ReplyDeleteOh good, I'm not the only who thinks this story is fucking ridiculous. I knew nothing of the book, only watching the Hulu series, but with a distinct feeling that the story is fucking, no, really fucking stupid. If maybe it took place in the far future like the Hunger Games, then I can suspend my disbelief, (thank you Katherine Tramell), but because the setting is current regardless of never stating the exact time, it's utterly unbelievable that a society so strong willed with characters that are equally strong willed would let all these country bumpkins and fat, weak and old looking people control them for even one second. A few men in the streets with machine guns (it looks like they recycle the same three men in every scene of the show) is what's stopping these millions of people from fighting back????? On the plus side, the GMC yukons murdered-out look awesome!
ReplyDelete"A few men in the streets with machine guns"
DeleteWell, she did set the book in future New England. That kinda thing would never fly in Texas. IOW she is unwittingly making a great argument about why we need the 2nd amendment.
"it's utterly unbelievable that a society so strong willed with characters that are equally strong willed would let all these country bumpkins and fat, weak and old looking people control them for even one second"
DeletePeople are weak, you are weak. We can all be controlled/manipulated, in our desperate times. We see this everyday.
Stop being ignorant. History has repeated itself for a long time.
Yeah....so I never read this in high school, but I would have hated my teacher for it. I started watching this on Hulu and thought that maybe the book would be better than the series so I started reading the book. The series and book don't match each other hardly at all. It's almost like they knew how much the book sucked so they had to help the series or no one would watch it. I thought this book would be "1984"ish, but no such luck. The story is just so unbelievable. The story doesn't really go anywhere. Not much of a plot and not much character development. Hours of my life I will never get back.
ReplyDeleteRead the book for college over 25 years ago. Can barely remember the details of it. STILL hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning nuns.
ReplyDeletei love this. so fucking true.
ReplyDeleteMain character, she infuriates me, tries to manipulate a man, very obviously. I was shouting at him, slap her! SLAP HER NOW! 5 minutes later she comes outside smiling and the man totally under her spell. This series made me actually hate woman in a new found way. Congratulations. It is an example of everything wrong with the world now. It tries to make a statement but goes backwards on this statement. It tries to create a world but fails at making it believable due to big exposition flaws. It tries to be deep, but instead its very mundane and easy to read. If you think this series is good, you have a problem. And most people have a problem.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you’re just a psycho that hates women.
DeleteHaven't read the book but it sounds a lot like the HULU mini series. Boooring!
ReplyDeleteAnother TV series I won't watch. =P
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, Americans?
ReplyDeleteLike there's anything wrong with loving in a constitutional Republic, where you're born with basic human rights and the freedom to say that a bad book and t.v. series are bad.
DeleteMark Twain was american. So was H.L. Mencken.
DeleteI couldn't even finish one chapter of this book. I was choking down my rage and forgot it was a library book. I threw it out of my window. Only then did I rsalize my mistake. I didn't damage the book too badly.
ReplyDeleteYears later I made a second attempt. This time it wasn't a library book,so I tore it to shreds after getting two paragraphs in. It never even made it a day in my collection. Worst book ever.
I love well-done science fiction. Michael Crichton, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, even Jules Verne.
ReplyDeleteGood science fiction posits a possible future, based on, you know - science.
The Handmaid's Tale, on the other hand, purports to be some kind of enthralling futuristic dystopian morality tale, written by a woman.
But it's actually nothing more than a feminist's snuff film.
The author, Atwood, writing in the 1970s, actually believed that the world was going to be taken over by some kind of Y-chromosome WASP Theocracy that would force women into the slavery that is portrayed in "Tale."
How ironic that in the present day, it's Islam and sharia law that literally treat women like second-class chattel. Yet if you say that out loud you're immediately guilty of a thoughtcrime.
Even more ironic is that the majority of the violence against women in "Tale" is perpetrated by other women. And yet, it's clear in both the book and series that we, the audience, are supposed to be afraid of the evil patriarchy of the men, as opposed to the sociopathic femlords that make Charles Manson look like a nice guy.
Here's an actual science fiction concept. How about a world in which the artificial womb has been invented, and men and women no longer need each other to reproduce. They just download the "Me23" app onto their phone, choose some donor DNA, have it injected into an embryo, and voila! 9 months later, a designer baby is born!
Would men and women embrace this life? Would the convenience of being able to avoid pregnancy, and needing a spouse, and creating a stable family unit, outweigh the biological drives that make humans want to mate?
Or would it be the way of the future? Inconceivable?
A hundred years, no one even knew what DNA was.
Have you seen Gattica? :) Not totally in line with your propisition but sounds like you may enjoy it.
DeleteI thought I was the only one who hated this show. Thank goodness I'm not alone. It's a feel-bad show, the 3rd episode was the last straw. Sorry but it's just the worst.
ReplyDeleteLol yes! THANK YOU.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this completely. I enjoyed reading your post, and even giggled a few times to myself as I was scrolling through it.
I couldn't get into the books, nor the damn TV series. I don't get it, I don't understand it and I do not know why it's become so highly popular!
".because they probably deserve to be handmaids." woops
ReplyDeleteAll you’ve done here is say “this book sucks because I say so” with a bunch of juvenile profanity. Horrible article.
ReplyDeleteNo you
DeleteThe funny thing is that the Handmaid's Tale is all about about male dominance, and a female sisterhood that keeps other women down. It's feminist pr0n, where powerful and or sexy men desire the boring, but "smart" stand in for the author. In the end, the protagonist runs away with a sexy man and her unborn daughter rather than chasing after her husband.
DeleteMaybe the reason you hate it so much is that you were FORCED to read it. I feel the same about lots of "great" works. Leave me alone to read it, and I might like it. Personally, I totally disagree with this article, but, I do understand why some might have trouble with it. The writing style is a real bitch for probably most readers. The jumping around is on purpose, but I know lots of people that are driven nuts by it. On the other hand, I think most of you who tried to read it totally missed the point. It was written as an example of what COULD easily happen if we're not vigilant about our rights. However, there was one thing that drove me absolutely buggy about the novel. If you forbid women to read, you've got way too many women in this new society w/ little to do but THINK about how their lives suck. A smarter move would have been government propaganda novels. Plus things like gardening, cookbooks and other "feminine" persuits to properly engage the female mind.
ReplyDeleteYes, women are susceptible to propaganda, which is why the weaker sex is targeted. Luckily, men dont put up with that bullshit.
DeleteThe whole premise of the hand maidens is flawed. If reproduction is limited to the rich then within three generations there will be no poor or middle class to support the rich. At this point the nation would either collapse due to being unable to support itself or be invaded by another. In addition to this the govenrment is highly religous, just at a time when you need a focus on science.
ReplyDeleteIt is a poorly thought out premise.
Children of men is a much better and realistic premise.
Wow. Finally gave in and bought first season on iTunes. I am an ULTRA Progressive, bordering on socialist who thinks Karl Marx' ANALYSIS of capitalism was pretty correct. Solution, not so much. I also believe women are an oppressed class. Having said that, I think HT is an overrated pile of crap on EVERY level. Whoever writes it is a certified sadist with severe psycho problems. PC gone berserk and the liberal choir in full throated "amen."
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteI have never read the book and ive only seen a few clips but this is not a snuff film done wrong and i didnt even think it was possible to reach that level of disgust. The handmaids tale is purports to be a brilliant examination of evil but it fails. Rape is evil. I dont need a tv show to tell me this. Women mistreat other women. I dont need a tv show to tell me this. Exploring sexism in a supposedly free society would be more effective. Handmaids is bad science fiction because its not showing anything new. Science fiction is about creating a new world even if its terrible. Its about exploring what could be. Handmaids isnt doing this. Its providing nothing original or creative. For that reason its ultimately gutless
ReplyDeleteYou know the worst part of the Hulu series? The fact that most people would rather die unless they are REALLY into that shit. So realisticly you would see a war zone of people fist fighting men armed with machine guns rather than the depressing sight of them quoting the fucking bible as the strip all women of basic human writes, that are fertile anyway. Yeah some “gift” that is. They rape innocent women and then quote the Bible, but not properly and in a way that simply does not explain why having the “gift” of fertility makes them sex slaves. It is also known that there are more women than men in terms of population and then you have female police officers with access to armories. You see where this is going. They would just supply every women with the guns. Then there is also the fact that men would lose their ability to have friends with benefits and spouses and etc etc so most of them would support it either. I do t know how you raise an army of men to enslave women in a way that you can no longer have sex with them but okay. Did I mention child cruelty and abuse. You’re telling me the killed children because they needed fertile women. How does that add up. There are legitimately places where children have the most power not politically because those societies understand how important they are and they have even lower birthdates meaning they need children so they kill them. That honestly doesn’t add up. I’m talking about that kid in the beginning, they say he got killed. And finally the second worst part. Literally every other country. Everyone already hates America and America’s allies are all good people so they would never stand for what was happening. You got the UN and a shit ton of individual countries who would never stand for this. I mean the UK’s allies would either A) Destroy the gilead I think that’s how it’s spelled or be turn on all of the UK and just nuke their sexist asses. Then you got the UK enemies just waiting to strike and bam a not only sexist but ridiculous power struggle. This would leave extreme weakness and lead to massive war, I mean who wouldn’t take the opening to destroy an enemy in a moment of weakness like that. I mean no women with power means half the productivity which they wouldn’t be able to afford and even less military power. Especially since the birth rates are the whole cause of this it mean you got even less children to grow up to help I some way and whatever potential number that was that’s halfed because the 50/50 chance of a girl. And don’t correct the country because it doesn’t really matter either way and based off of comments I’m not sure which country is right because I don’t remember where the show said they were.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long comment but just so you know I didn’t even cover half the problems in it but I covered a lot. I mean their is the matter of resources, economy, relations besides what would happen if such a movement occurred. The hundreds of other long term effects of this. I mean this the main reason sexism was so greatly reduced because it decreased productivity like crazy. Still more but I’m done for now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book but if its anything like the show, it must be equally garbage. How the fuck do you convince millions of people that rape, assault, murder, torture and oppression of innocent unarmed women and children is ok? Wait... no not ok... ITS THE LORDS WORK. It appears the public portrayed in this world don't have any concept of morality. Basic rules of oppression requires a force stronger than those you want to oppress. Simple. But, as the show points out, the majority of the 'force' (the guardians) were part of the US military. So how tf did they all just jump on the delusional Christian band wagon and start hanging doctors and gays without bothering to question their new reality???
ReplyDeleteThen there's the insane logic with handmaids. Every 5th episode one of them commits suicide or at least tries. Surely the dudes who could overthrow the US government can see that: oppressed living conditions and rape = suicide. And yet its all the same. If they really want to increase fertility rates, maybe torturing the baby makers isn't a solid start. The Waterford's even discuss this and say they don't want another suicide and yet time after time we see the lovely Serena beating the shit out of her handmaid.
The last thing is Offred. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. Its like watching a horror movie where the protagonist has the IQ of a peanut. I think I counted 13 different escape conditions and she didn't seem to notice any. This one scene where all the handmaids (20ish) were holding stones in the rain while surrounded by 3 aunts. The aunts had their cattle prods tucked under their arms and i'm doubting their reaction time is godlike. A 20 v 3 sounds pretty good to me. And anyway, even if escape doesn't work suicide seems like the best option when your life has become 3 years of rape, torture and oppression. If I was ever in their situation, I would definitely pull a successful Jeanine and kill myself so I wouldn't have to live another second in this delusional unrealistic baby factory reality.
I'm also reading it for my English class and it's not that great. I only really got into reading it and some what enjoying the book after the first ceremony. Plus, that ending is the worst! It makes me think she intended to a write a second book but the whole relevation that it was tapes and the everything in the "historical notes" section just annoyed me! I would actually like to know what happened to Offred. And what was the point in that whole revelation that Serena Joy is actually called Thelma!?!
ReplyDeleteSome extra stuff - I watched series 1 of the show to get ready for my class and reading it, it got really good after 4. I think it is when Fred invites Offred to his study. (So when plot occurs)
DeleteThere's a bunch of articles saying that The Handmaids Tale season two is torture porn. Well, I think that going from 'stupid propaganda' to 'torture porn' is actually a step up. =P
ReplyDeleteI love "The Handmaid's Tale" and it is a classic. I find those who hate it would ironically be the very same types who rule the Republic of Gilead and who hate moderate policies. "Handmaid's" is a lesson to be learned for those who think Tea Party extremism is ok. I was asleep before, that's who we let it happen!
ReplyDelete"I find those who hate it would ironically be the very same types who rule the Republic of Gilead and who hate moderate policies." <- Yeah, those kkk members that are against due process and support Title IX. I am just kidding, the Klan would love Title IX. Do you wanna talk about lack of civil rights? Title IX is destroying it.
Delete"I was asleep before" and you are insane now.
DeleteI find you are a repulsive psychopath since you are obsessed with cats and are vindictive and abusive while trying to project that onto others. YOU are the problem not the 100 plus posters here who do not like the book. You are of average to below average intelligence and clearly a manipulative narcissist from your comment. Enjoy the shitty sophomoric work. I am laughing all the way enjoying masterpieces int he meantime. And oh your cat is Fug and you probably suffer toxiplasmosis too. That makes me laugh also. Because narcissists deserve something back for the Hell they put others through. You weak non existent people who are codependent to the point of needing to abuse others for your own self worth. NO core self. Enjoy your weird roommate(your cat) since no one else can stand to be around you.
DeletePersonally, "The Handmaid's Tale" is one of my favourite books. Anyone who dismisses why the people in it act like they do are not tuned into America past and present. Up until Roosevelt was elected in the 1930s, America was a repressed, racist killjoy society lead by religious extremists. Prohibition and segregation were the norm and slavery was there in the past too (the Marthas and I'm sure some handmaids too in some cases where slaves were used for rape). Roosevelt and his successors Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson eradicated much of the "Gilead" elements that really did exist. Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2 and Obama preserved the new moderate America we all assumed always existed.
ReplyDeleteTrump appears very weak and is not able to control a lot of the current attempts to Gileadise America. Look at these things that have been happening since April 2018:
1. The take over of government by Tea Party types. The Sons of Jacob held rallies very like them and had the same aim to replace America with a hardline state.
2. The obsession with border security and walls.
3. The attempts to declare a fake national emergency to change the nature of the government.
4. The badmouthing of ex presidents like Obama by the current regime.
5. The admiration Pompeo, Bolton and other officials have for dictators.
6. The misogyny of many of the regime's top officials.
And the list goes on and on. Gilead is very possible. The types exist and are now in government. Margaret Atwood's book added in the one element that is needed to change America as we know it into something like Gilead: a new civil war. The current regime is doing all it can to make that a reality with this current shutdown nonsense. Democrats and Republicans have never been as divided and there are more and more Americans who have lost faith in both too. So, don't give me this "it's not possible". Sadly, it is very possible.
Lol. Nope. Obama also incrised the war on drugs and had deportation in his candidacy. The only thing that can be called misogyny on top is the removal of Title IX, a thing that would be supported by the klan as it is basically against one of the most basic rights: duo process. If something things such anti-trans in the military are just continuation of the non-gays in the military from the ninties. Even the whole wall thing was already here during the BUSH years. There is nothing really new from Trump that can be called facist, what can be called facist by some people was there way before.
Deletehttps://attackthesystem.com/2018/12/03/what-happens-when-trump-falls/ -> "I find it fascinating that Donald Trump, a man who personifies the perfect hybrid of 1960s/70s hedonism and 1980s/90s greed and materialism, would emerge as a conservative hero, with the religious right and social conservatives being his biggest backers. If there are any snowflakes left who still think some right-wing Christian theocracy is on the horizon, they need not worry. Trumpism represents the Latin Americanization of US politics (a high stratified class system where open corruption is the norm in politics) rather than “A Handmaid’s Tale.”"
DeleteSorry, I totally forget that the russian model that is married with Trump was forced to get married with him. No woman would get married with a billionaire on their own will. Lol.
Delete*Terrorism
DeleteI would not doubt you are thirteen. When I was thirteen I was watching the trailer for "Fahrenheit 119" (I don't think I even watched the film) and saying things such as "Michael Moore is right, Bush will bring a theocracy". XD
Delete"Prohibition and segregation were the norm and slavery was there in the past too" -> Women helped to pass prohibition -> https://daily.jstor.org/feminist-history-prohibition/ (I love the fact that this article tried to paint this as a positive XD) And at least one feminist helped to started the war on drugs (And she was a racist) - https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/3kvgg8/the-mother-of-canadas-marijuana-laws-is-a-feminist-hero-and-a-racist-monster
DeleteBush 2 helped to pass the Patriot Act, that helped the USA become closer to a police state. Of course, ignore this. Reagan helped the contras, a right wing organization that used to traffic crack cocaine to the US (But that was O.K., they were fighting communism in Nicaragua). Ignore this. Those guys were awesome. Do you know anything about history?
DeleteUr retarded. The revolution only happens once the 2nd and 1st amendments are stripped away, which would never happen. Go back to smoking crack.
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ReplyDeleteI just wonder how many people who 'hate' The Handmaid's Tale stand politically. I despise this concept of using the word 'liberal' as a dirty word in one context and then spouting propaganda about 'freedom' when the real world Gilead types of our world want to go to war against some made up enemy. These types condemn The Handmaid's Tale, a classic of the literary world and a well loved TV series, as propaganda but yet fall for the realworld propaganda about any country that is enemies of the Gileadists and the so-called communists that oppose Pompeo and the like in America. Liberal = freedom and this shower do not want people to be free. They want to force a cultish doctrine on the people, maybe not as severe as in The Handmaid's Tale but cultish nevertheless. Pompeo and the rest are evil and their lies about Iran and so on to justify another war are exactly the danger the world faces. Cultish, far right evil exists and if it looks like dystopian classic literature, it is because the attitude is the same. The current American government represent the worst leadership of a Western country since Nazi Germany should Pompeo stay around much longer. It is time to stop this emerging dictatorship before it does go too far. I can see the assassination of the president by Pompeo's crew and pinning it on Iran happen very possibly and that is the part of The Handmaid's Tale that is very likely. The rest of it may happen if the American regime of Pompeo has no money left to pay for anyone other than white males. And with these economy breaking wars that are 100% unneeded, this is a possible future too.
ReplyDeleteI hate The Handmaid's Tale. I'm anti-authoritarian and left-leaning, not that it matters. I don't hate it because I think it's propaganda. I hate it because it's shitty half-assed fiction.
DeleteGilead makes no sense. The country's GDP being sustainable makes no sense. The caste system makes no sense. The borders of the nation make no sense. Canada carrying out as normal from a civil war that huge in its southern border makes no sense. The Gilead chain of command makes no sense. The policies they enact make no sense, not only in that they're hypocritical, but in how counterproductive they are to sustain their "Republic".
The sheer amount of armed guards on every Gilead locale makes absolutely no sense -- who's paying for them, and what is their pay? Who's actually working in all the things that a society like Gilead needs to in order function? How is the nation recovering from losing more than half its workforce? (women+racial minorities+"gender traitors") And who paid who to redesign the entire civilization to be "writingless"? If there's a fertility crisis, how can they afford to have so many guards and soldiers and to fight a war in the present?
How are ANY of Gilead's actions sustainable even in the short term in the face of the infertility crisis that's supposed to be at the root of the problem?
These are all questions and issues that any competent fiction writer should have considered when coming up with the idea of a dystopia, but Atwood did not. The showrunners did not, either, and prove to be even more incompetent at times when it comes to worldbuilding. Some themes in the story are interesting, but that's about it. Most of it is pretentious drivel that challenges even the biggest suspensions of disbelief in fiction. An everyday teen fanfic is more likely to have far more logical worldbuilding than the Handmaid's Tale.
Maybe Atwood will redeem this story with The Testaments, but given her overly inflated ego, I find that unlikely.
You're absolutely right in that cultish far right evil exists. But in order to establish its own Republic, it needs to NOT be fucking incompetent and nonsensical, to not be like Gilead. It needs to be insidious and sell its poison as a cure. The book doesn't work because it creates a cartoon of this evil instead of exploring it for its actual dangers.
Also the TV show is overrated shit and spends half of any given episode in close ups of Elizabeth Moss's face doing nothing. The story goes nowhere, the already shaky internal consistency of Gilead is even more of a wildcard and varies according to the demands of each episode, and the main character has the worst plot armor I've had the displeasure of seeing in any work of fiction. It tries to have its cake by showing Gilead as a brutal regime and then it attempts to eat it by having the main character get away with a never-ending amount of very obvious INTERNATIONAL crimes against said regime. Even its fanbase is dropping it like a hot turd because the plotlines are contradictory and directionless.
Also Moss being the executive producer and lead actor in a story about fighting a murderous cult is deliciously ironic given how she's a Scientologist herself.
Anyway, don't strawman, anyone with more than a passing interest in dystopian fiction can easily argue that the book (and TV show) is juvenile, poorly thought out drivel. Our political affiliations don't matter.
I love you, man ❤
ReplyDeleteThe TV show is all style and absolutely no substance. Very fitting given its source material. But yes, that can make it sort of addicting to watch. And yeah this review is the best.
ReplyDeleteMargaret atwood's "pro"tagonists are loathsome because she is a personality disordered individual with narcissim. This is why Ofjoseph os murdering characters MORE intelligent and empathetic like Eleanor. NArcissits cannot STAND anyone else getting attention and Eleanore was such a great actress multidimensional and Ofred like her creator are narcissists so of course, Jan ine gets mocked and made useless and OfJoseph(Ofred ) MURDERS her. That's what narcissists do they murder the reputation by gaslighting their victims or they physically neglect their victims until they die of symptoms related to narcissistic abuse. If you know anyone who cannot stand it if you talk about yourself and forces you to FOCUS On HER ALL THE TIME Run get away uietly and never go back!
ReplyDeleteSadly, due to dumbed down America Atwood's book is being praised now. When it came out in the 1980's people were more discerning and considered it detritus. Atwood is not a talented author she is a narcissist desiring to be famous like Trump, below average intelligence and abusive. Her "pro"tagonist hates everyone but herself. Funny how Atwood's lack of character is revealed through her lead characters;She lacks wit which is essential to a writer because it is a marker of intelligence. Hence, Twain, pure genius.
ReplyDeletewhen is the muslimMaid tales coming out?
ReplyDeleteI agree with almost everything you said. It was badly written by a man-hater who even was disdainful of her readers. The book was rightfully hated or ignored in the more literate 1980s when it came out. 40 years of underfunded public schools made Americans dumb enough to love it in 2017.
ReplyDeleteThe protagonist was stupid and loathsome. She possessed no agency or will power.
Teh plot, even for a sci fi novel, was implausable. She left out the part where every able-bodied man was wiped out by some mysterious plague making the scenario possible.
She tries to cover up the plot holes by using a non linear writing style. Nowadays, it keeps people too busy to realise how bad the story is.
I read it voluntarily for my book club. I hate it because it's bad writing, not because some dimwit english teacher assigned it.
I disagree about the polysylabic vocab. she tended to use simple words. Throwing in something like lugubrious relieves monotony. Without looking it up, it means about what you said--something rotten. That's all you need to know to get it. I've never used the word in my life. I suspect she had a thesaurus. And you also use a few big words in your essay.
My GF has been binge watching this crap on HuLu for the last couple days during the Stay at home order. She lost her job of 20= years last Oct. Unemployment just extended 6 weeks. Me , still employed and getting certificates of education in my industry. Every time I look up for a moment for a break there is the Red uniform White hat girl in a cringing closeup. Slow motion effects, dramatic background music, constant low muffed chanting . Looks like it's filmed in Canada... I guess I'm suppose to watch this a "learn" something about radical Christianity and Evil manhood? High drama in your face crap. FYI, the current men (adult boys) in this country are to lazy and resigned in life to create the hell hole being pooped out of HuLu studios.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The fact that G.F. is so into this crap this crap while not working on her unemployment situation is going to have me gone gone gone.
ReplyDeleteI love all of you and your reactions. Thank you. I, too, thought i was the only one. Maybe 500 years ago this could happen, but I'm not buying it as something that could happen currently. I never thought i would say this, but I would rather read/watch the twilight series for all of eternity than this crap sandwich.
ReplyDeleteI want to say if anyone was watching current news they would think we have slavery and women can not vote. It's ridiculous what fears the tainted media (and now big tech) is shoveling down young peoples' throats. Propaganda is what causes societies to fall...and we seem to be doing everything possible to expedite that inevitable fall...and don't even get me started with censorship & cancel culture, it's too sickening to a "free" society. Btw, Margaret Atwood seems to be subconsciously commenting on certain middle eastern cultures who have done & are doing everything she describes in her book.
ReplyDeleteSo funny that Hollywood presents a sick cult like this as a possibility when its virtually impossible these sorts Christian religious regimes could exist. Meanwhile we have real Marxist cults like the CCP in China who are similar if not worse than this show in real life for the last 70 years.
ReplyDeleteIt's 'populace' the noun, in this case, not 'populous' the adjective.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how i once read some of the Handmaid's Tail I mean Tale. I don't recall very much of it at all. This may be because it has no memorable characters, dialogue or suspense that makes one remember a story or want to reread it. I quit after a few chapters. It seemed contrived and reflected the author's extreme prejudice and hatred of fundamentalist Christianity, and, much more disturbing, men in general. The novel is full of abuse, suffering and people being manipulated like pieces of meat or machines. It seems contrived and phony. The story seems quite similar to 1984, which is a far superior and more nuanced novel. In typical Atwood style, the book is gloomy and full of self pity and abuse and savagery and depravity. I had no desire to continue reading such a glum book. I honestly think the author has some issues. (psychological). Nobody should have such a dark view of men or human nature. It is a disjointed, pitiful attempt to imitate Orwell's masterpiece, 1984 and it fails miserably. Stupid radical left wing feminists will no doubt embrace this Christian and male bashing politically correct piece of vindictive propaganda. I love science fiction stories but this one is one of the worst ever written by a man or a woman. Radical feminists will use it bash men. Just what we need. More hatred and people seeking revenge for slights real or imagined.
ReplyDeleteIt's the literary equivalent of a Battlefield Earth (the first sci-fi novel written by the notorious L Ron Hubbard). Yeah Battlefield Earth is a semi-entertaining sci-fi adventure, but the part about the main character having an accident that suddenly gives him a huge dick seems much more telling and to the point, the main thrust of the author's narrative.
ReplyDeleteI only watched a couple episodes of the show, but it's just a poorly fleshed out exercise in female mental masturbation. The give away is long scenes involving childbearing that feature lots of supporting women. In their rush to throw out the old to be different, the matriarchy has focused on this kind of woo-woo land Lamaze class concept of giving birth as the ultimate metaphor for feminism. However it utterly fails (how did anyone watched those scenes without laughing!) because it's not a true mythic image.
In a highly metaphorical sense, Atwood has a tiny dick and is obsessed with castration and this book/show is the end result.
My wife has been watching this abomination. I over hear enough of it and walk by enough to want to lobotomize myself. I have even begin question who I married and why. It is hands down one of the worst pieces of "art" and I use the term "art" extremely loosely I have ever had the displeasure to be aware of. The premise is absolutely ridiculous, the long drawn out camera shots of the lead looking dumb and demented at the same time and the poorly overacted melodramatic scenes are painful at best.
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