r/Tadcriticism

Okay, I've seen some trans people express dissatisfaction with Jax's supposedly transfem representation. I've read that it can reinforce transphobic ideas, and after hearing some TERF arguments, I think I get why.

TERFs are always accusing trans women of reinforcing traditional gender roles. They claim that trans people can't see a masculine woman or a feminine man without assuming they're supposed to be the opposite gender. They also love saying that "being a woman isn't an aesthetic/performance" and pushing the idea that trans women are just abusive men who want to get away with abusing women.

And honestly, it got me thinking about how much TERFs would LOVE the idea of Jax being transfem, especially if the fandom widely accepted that interpretation. I can totally see them using him as an example to reinforce all their misconceptions about trans women.

Because, let's be real, Jax is presented as a guy who might be a woman partly because of his association with feminine things, like bows and maybe even a maid dress (and I say maybe because I'm not entirely sure about that one). He's also supposedly more sensitive than a "regular man," which we learn through his bigoted mother's perspective, and people then use that as a context clue for his gender identity. And, on top of all that, he's an abusive character who doesn't seem to take accountability for his actions.

Do you see what I mean? None of these things inherently make someone transfem, but when people insist that they MUST mean Jax is a trans woman, it starts getting uncomfortable. You're basically connecting femininity, sensitivity, and stereotypes to being a woman, while also tying that identity to an abusive character who never really takes accountability.

I'm just saying, this is exactly what TERFs think about trans women and this character is serving their narrative.

Tweet of Gooseworx where she tells anti-black racists in the fandom to shoot themselves in the head.

From Gooseworx's social media statements it is painfully obvious that she has not unpacked most of the bigoted assumptions she was raised with during her Evangelical childhood. From the language she uses, it is clear that she has not mentally stepped away from the extremely bigoted chan-board culture either and she may even still be posting in such spaces. Arguably, Twitter is now such a space, thanks to Musk.

Here is the thing though. If you keep making problematic statements about women and people of colour as supposed jokes, you should ask yourself why that is. If you cannot condemn misogyny and racism without irony or without making an over the top joke, it is safe to say that you do not feel comfortable condemning it outright or that you do not want to. Then the question is: why is that?

I have known at lot of people online who hid their bigotry behind "just a joke" until you kept asking questions or got to know them better at which point they dropped the mask. Not a joke; they genuinely believed every bigoted thing they said. I have known people irl who got radicalised online. It starts with bigotry and slurs being normalised through humour often in gamer spaces that led to a radicalisation rabbit hole.

Deradicalising yourself needs to involve stepping away from toxic spaces & social circles, stop using their lingo, examine your thoughts and beliefs, ditch harmful convictions and actively replace them with better beliefs. This involves being more mindful about your actions and words moving forward. It means establishing a new pattern of healthier and kinder behaviours. Being better involves consistent healthy patterns of behaviour.

Humour is used in bigoted spaces as the spoon full of sugar that makes the bigotry go down. If you normalise joking about violence against others, particularly marginalised people, you desensitise yourself. You normalise thinking this to yourself and saying it to others. It blunts your empathy. This is exactly what hate movements want.

We literally see Jax do this in TADC. Everything is a joke, nothing is real and nothing matters. These are things Jax says to justify the horrific way he treats others which includes burning people alive. We see Pomni become a worse person when she goes along with Jax's attitude. Being uncritically chummy with bigots & abusers makes you complicit and contaminates your moral compass. It does not bring them around, it infects you with some of their toxicity. Jax could have been a really interesting analysis on how bigots & abusers hurt others and themselves, but Gooseworx could not because she has not done that work on herself yet. In stead she wants us to sympathise with Jax who refuses all help and self-destructs without the narrative clearly condemning the immense harm Jax inflicts on others. Goose cannot hold Jax accountable, because she has not addressed these issues in herself. Saying that it is bad and self-destructive is not enough. You need to think, say and act better.

Compare and contrast this with characters like Bojack Horseman or even a selfish opportunist like Odalia in the Owl House who are held accountable. Bojack loses his career and Odalia's husband and children turn their backs on her and it is strongly implied she loses her wealth, influence and other privileges. Not every character needs a redemption arc nor does every unrepentant character need to die or be subjected to some over top corporal punishment. A text can clearly show that a character is in the wrong in various ways except the text of TADC does not do this in regards to Jax.