I’ve never really cared for for Jeremy Renner – he’s always seemed like a complete dick, so this whole thing doesn’t really surprise me. As for Chris Evans, I don’t know who’s really checking for him anyway, so I can’t say whether or not this is particularly out of character. So what’d they do?
In an interview for The Avengers: Age of Ultron with Digital Spy (shouts to DS, my first writing job!), these two dummies were asked a playful question about Black Widow wanting to be in a relationship with both Renner’s Hawkeye and Evans’ Captain America, to which they cracked up into fits of laughter as they explained that Black Widow is “a slut” according to Renner, and “a complete whore” in Evans’ eyes. Keep it classy, guys.
People obviously bugged out about this, because this bullshit language basically needs to be wiped out of our language. Those terms aren’t playful, though they meant it in a playful way. It’s a way to brand women as less than, as trash, to take away their autonomy. And to have men using those words, especially in such a public fashion, is bullshit.
Anyhoo, obviously they’re doing some damage control and had their PR people issue apologies on Thursday:
“Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America,” Evans said in a statement provided to EW. “We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.”
“I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone,” Renner also said in a statement provided to EW. “It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.”
Okay, anyone notice what an asshole backhanded apology Renner’s is? He had to point out that it was about a fictional character, as if that makes it less offensive, and as if the people who were offended by it were unaware that Black Widow isn’t a real live woman walking the streets.
Look, I’m not saying either of them (well, at least not Evans) made their initial comments to be purposely offensive or because they’re blatant misogynists that hate women. I’m saying that sometimes people don’t understand the effects of what they’re saying until after they’ve said it and they just need to take their foot out of their mouths and say sorry, like Evans did. Renner’s just makes me want to punch him in the mouth more than usual.
If you read the Spiderman comic strip in the newspapers The Black Widow is moving onto Spiderman so they are both wrong.
I have two feelings on this: one, sometimes people just say stupid stuff. It doesn’t mean they feel that way, they just say it to say it. However, the feminist side of me says that the term ‘slut’ is always used to put down women and keep them sexually oppressed. The term slut is never used as a means of shaming men; in fact, if a man is sexually promiscuous, he’s high-fived and celebrated as a ladies man…but if a woman does it, she’s just a dirty whore.
Ugh, so conflicted.
i’m sorry…but they are talking about a CARTOON CHARACTER! they are not talking about Scarlett Johansen PERSONALLY….it’s a CHARACTER!!!! are we THAT sensitive as a society that we get offended about what a stupid actor says about a person that doesn’t even exist in real life…seriously??? Hey, guess what….i think Spiderman is a pansy!
Miiiiiiiiiiissiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing the poooooooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint.
Why does this shit even come up on my facebook? I’m really not interested in reading badly-written, biased articles. In addition, Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans can say whatever they like about Black Widow, because she is a fictional character. Like, duhhh ;)
Maybe now people will stop fawning over this overhyped franchise. *Fingers crossed*