Saturday, June 23, 2012

BM: “If you could change your fate, would you?” -Merida, Brave’s ad campaign


“To what? And, from what? I don’t know what my fate is. I’ll only know once it happens, at which point it’ll be history, not fate. How do you know what you’re changing from?

“Tell you what: I’m changing your fate.

“Just then, it changed. Did you feel it? Of course you can’t, because fate’s what happens, so it feels like everything else. What did I swap it to? You don’t know, because it’s the future. Unless you can see the future, you don’t know it’s changing.

“Maybe you were fated to get hit by a car tomorrow. Maybe now you’re fated to win the lottery instead. You can’t just say, ‘Oh my life is terrible, I’m going to sign an arcane pact to change my fate now.’ You want your present to change. You want your future to be better than you think it will be.

“Well, guess what? Everybody’s frickin' working for an easier tomorrow. That’s not changing fate. That’s getting a job. Shut up and do something.”

7 comments:

  1. i guess the campaign should have been, if you can choose your fate what would you choose?

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  2. What if changing your fate was your fate? Or something.

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  3. Changing fate is like changing a nappy (diaper): the new one might look nice and clean, but someone's bound to crap in it sooner or later.

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  4. What if it was fate to not change your fate.... hmm wonders off to think about it a bit more.

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  5. Yup, you're certainly not a medieval noblewoman. Their fates were very well-defined -- as are the fates of a lot of girls growing up in North America and around the world, right now.

    The fates of boys is also very well-defined in certain parts of the world, in certain classes. If you are free enough to ask, "but how do I know my fate?" you're doing very well in the freedom department.

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    Replies
    1. Don't go conflating "social role" with "fate," madame. An aneurysm cares little for its century.

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    2. I knew you were going to say that :-)

      That still narrows it down to two -- either you'll follow in the footsteps of the parent whose gender you match, or you'll die before you can.

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