Throughout this project I hope one theme has remained at the forefront of your mind and that is the demonstration of power, who has it, the various ways it can be taken from others, how it is coded in stereotypes and laws, and how power is maintained at the expense of another person and in particular women.
Stereotypes have always existed in society and they do serve a purpose which is to classify and to make sense of things we don't understand. Rape is one of those issues that can be tough to unravel for those who have never been impacted by it. Heroes is an example of a show trying to explore difficult issues and they employ stereotypes to get the message across. What needs to be done with stereotypes is the facts need to replace them to make the show more realistic and to represent women who have been violated accurately and fairly. However, due to the show's nature, that of a science fiction drama, depictions of women are slow to change as compared to police dramas depicting similar scenes because it is based in reality.
Another thing I hope was conveyed was the need for reform in our laws concerning violent acts against women, how the victims are treated, and appropriate punishments for offenders. What happened to Claire is a good example of a victim left with no legal options who seeks justice on her attacker. Victims should never feel as though they are abandoned by the legal system and the rapist should be free to rape again just because a lack of evidence exists. Laws should exist to serve society's needs and not let 80% of offenders brought to court to go free, which is not right. No one should feel powerless in our society but for many women this is a reality. I think the idea Heroes is presenting to its audience is the imbalance of power in the world and that everyone should have an equal share of it.
The demonstration and the show of masculinity in the Heroes universe is staggering. The blatant control men have over women sends the message to the audience that masculinity equals control and femininity is submissive and weak. This is illustrated in how Claire has power taken away from her; she resists and regains some of her power back, only to have it taken away by her own father. Also what Claire has been through is dismissed as if it never had occurred at all. In the case of Jessica/Niki she is forced to summit to men's wants and desires to make money to take care of herself and her son. She is also used by men to blackmail other men, to sleep with strangers under threat, and forced by necessity to kill men to protect herself and her family. This endless cycle of power needs to stop somewhere and I think Heroes is trying to make the point that if power is shared there is no reason to hurt others to get it and no reason to fight.
One may ask why would Heroes would show such violent scenes and depict women so? One reason may be found in the bigger theme of the show. Mohender, a scientist, says that evolution is a violent process that benefits the strong and weeds out the weak. If a person can survive such horrible events it can only make them a stronger and better person. Another thing to consider is the moral implications when a woman has a superpower and the man doesn't could this be a sign that society is changing? Perhaps the show is challenging the audience to think about the men surrounding Claire and Jessica/Niki who have no superpowers yet they still have all the power. Also I think the show is pointing out that power comes in many forms some is encoded in our genes and some power is taken by force. Power can be a force for good or bad it depends on how it is demonstrated and who has it. A closing thought. Can gender ever be equalized, in regards of how power is distributed among the sexes?
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