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    A Small TurnipClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:41am

    I wish there were more room in the modern media world for a bit more easy generosity between folks. It’s wearying to always be demanding apologies, you know? People goof. They say stupid shit. They get tired. And it sometimes feels like we’re all just waiting for someone to piss us off so we can purge some hateful unprocessed rage out of our tarry souls.

    I think I wish we could just be easier on one another, period. And easier on our own selves. I know I’ve poisoned my own mind with self-recrimination, and it sure as shit hasn’t led to greater personal happiness or insight, so I can’t imagine that a constant posture of finger-pointing is of much benefit to the world in general.

    All of which is to say: it’s fine, JJ. No stress, man. We cool.

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      Flow BeeA Small Turnip
      12/07/15 9:48am

      Yes. The demand of perfection that a lot of modern progressives have is getting tiring. That used to be the domain of conservatives and more nuanced, sophisticated thought for us liberals. Not so anymore.

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      Charlotte29 aka Rob KA Small Turnip
      12/07/15 9:49am

      Omg dude, so much this. I remember when Jez first reported on his comments a week or so ago there were all these people howling about how he had “Erased women from the fandom.” I mean for fuck sakes. I’ll say it again: I always thought it was clear that he was acknowledging that the franchise hadn’t done much to overtly appeal to women, not that they weren’t capable of being fans. I *guess* he could’ve maybe chosen his words better, or you know, maybe we could also use our brains and recognize what he was actually trying to say.

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    Octopit didn't choose the burrito life, the burrito life chose octopit.Clover Hope
    12/07/15 9:29am

    What if I see myself in Jabba the Hutt!?

    Or worse what if someone saw themselves as JARJAR. Oh god. KILL IT WITH ALL OF THE FIRE.

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      Jurassic PorkerOctopit didn't choose the burrito life, the burrito life chose octopit.
      12/07/15 9:34am

      Sometimes when I’m lazing in bed and letting my girth spill out in all of it’s splendor, I completely envision myself as Jabba (except with my adorable face).

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      Charlotte29 aka Rob KOctopit didn't choose the burrito life, the burrito life chose octopit.
      12/07/15 9:36am

      Seriously lol-ing at the thought of someone being like, “Jar Jar Binks just speaks to me, you know?”

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    Charlotte29 aka Rob KClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:26am

    Unpopular opinion time: I was not pissed when he made the first comment. I thought it was pretty clear that he meant that the franchise hadn’t really gone out of its way to invite women in (which is true), not that women are incapable of being fans.

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      DayswithmeCharlotte29 aka Rob K
      12/07/15 9:40am

      Nothing wrong with wanting to make it more acessible to a more diverse audience, but saying it always was a boys’ thing feels limiting. Nothing to start a witch hunt for, though.

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      Charlotte29 aka Rob KDayswithme
      12/07/15 10:01am

      I mean... it *was* limiting. Yes, Princess Leia was and is an absolutely bad ass heroine, but she wasn’t the locus of the marketing machine. The people responsible for creating the larger universe, at least in a marketing sense, have pretty much always thought of Star Wars in aggregate as a boys thing. That doesn’t mean only boys actually participate in it, but the people who were trying to sell you shit were certainly under that ass-backwards impression. JJ is actively changing that.

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    PsonicPsunspotClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:27am

    Fun fact: I watched Star Wars for the first time this weekend. I’m 36.

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      TheOriginalSangsterPsonicPsunspot
      12/07/15 9:30am

      Did you like it or love it?

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      Octopit didn't choose the burrito life, the burrito life chose octopit.PsonicPsunspot
      12/07/15 9:31am

      Did you enjoy it!? Who was your favorite character? Do you want to Han Solo someone when they tell you they love you!? Inquiring minds must know!

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    crankylittlephotonClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:24am

    JJ, Imma let you finish, but Princess Leia is one of the most badass action heroes of all time. OF. ALL. TIME. She RAN that “boys club.”

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      MostlyKelp ( Now, you people get that oven, or die trying. You hear that, Stormy? DIE.)crankylittlephoton
      12/07/15 9:45am

      I liked Leia as the assassin in Blues Brothers.

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      Sportsiclecrankylittlephoton
      12/07/15 9:47am

      I rewatched episode 4 recently and was surprised at how Luke, Han, and Chewie were all happy their plan to get to Leia worked, and then were shocked that they had no clue on how to escape the cell block. Leia is like, jeez, way to halfass a plan fellas, grabs Luke’s blaster and gets them the hell outta there, “into the garbage chute, flyboy.”

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    KateFaceClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:50am

    I think it’s also important to add that women should be encouraged to see themselves in male characters, and vice versa. The qualities that make the characters so great aren’t gender-specific, and for me personally, I’ve had moments in my life where I could relate to all sorts of different characters regardless of their gender.

    As a little kid obsessed with Star Wars in the early 90s, I related to the Ewoks so much I wrote a story about one who overcame everyone underestimating him because he was tiny and adorable to become a Jedi. Those were feelings I could understand, and it didn’t matter that it was a male teddy-bear alien.

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      PocketfulOfRadiumKateFace
      12/07/15 10:23am

      Most women learn to see themselves in male characters from the time they start consuming books/movies/TV shows. We don’t really have a choice... well-rounded and interesting female characters are usually the exception rather than the rule. On the other hand, men always seem to have issues seeing themselves in female characters (or allowing themselves to do so). Like it’s not socially acceptable or whatever. So yeah, it’s actually kind of expected that you’d relate to the male teddy-bear alien.

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      many bells down wears many stupid hatsKateFace
      12/07/15 10:42am

      I was obsessed with c3PO. Possibly because on the inside I am also a neurotic annoying robot.

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    MostlyKelp ( Now, you people get that oven, or die trying. You hear that, Stormy? DIE.)Clover Hope
    12/07/15 9:24am

    and I hope girls and women see themselves in Rey (and not Phasma)!

    I just hope women don’t see themselves in Padme.

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      many bells down wears many stupid hatsMostlyKelp ( Now, you people get that oven, or die trying. You hear that, Stormy? DIE.)
      12/07/15 10:41am

      Seriously, she regresses. She starts out as a badass and turns into a whiny Juliet by the end. Makes it even more ironic that she’s like 14 in the first movie, because she turns into a melodramatic teenager.

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    GELLA - LLAPClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:24am

    little does he know.....i just hope he won’t make new Star Wars E7 into SW E1 all over again.

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      GoobermunchGELLA - LLAP
      12/07/15 10:32am

      I’m pretty sure he’s hoping the same thing.

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      GELLA - LLAPGoobermunch
      12/07/15 10:35am

      apparently Lucas liked it.

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    Murry ChangClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:25am

    I’d like to say he’s not wrong, but I’d get pounced on even though it’s the truth, so: OH BOY IS HE SO WRONG FOR SAYING THOSE THINGS WHAT AN ASSHOLE OPPRESSOR HE SHOULD NEVER GET WORK AGAIN AND BE A PARIAH FOR EVER AND EVER GRRRRR OUTRAGE!!!!!

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      Charlotte29 aka Rob KMurry Chang
      12/07/15 9:27am

      Seriously. Left a similar comment and just waiting now :)

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      jezbannedMurry Chang
      12/07/15 9:28am

      Comments don’t get much more pathetic and cowardly than this.

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    TheOriginalSangsterClover Hope
    12/07/15 9:27am

    JJ, take a nap, you’ve earned it and you’re saying stupid stuff.

    Or stay awake and accidentally tell the whole plot of The Force Awakens to an Entertaiment Weekly reporter, I don’t really care one way or the other

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      Charlotte29 aka Rob KTheOriginalSangster
      12/07/15 10:02am

      For real though if anyone ever deserved a nap... I don’t understand how the guy is even giving coherent interviews at this point.

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