No, you have every right (and obligation, actually) to be disillusioned about the United States. This thought, however, verges on conspiratorial delusion.

Replace fascism with… checks notes again… fascism…

What?

“Nigh is the time of Madness and Distain” - The Witcher 3

Isn’t that the problem though? Pandering by creating overly masculine women doing things that men traditionally do?

Idk, maybe I’m over simplifying it - but I’ve known a decent amount of sexists that love Alien. I don’t think she was overly masculine, nor do I think her role was overly masculine. Idk.

I think it really depends on why the story has a female lead.

I think Alien is a good example, Ripley could have been male and it really wouldn’t have changed the plot that much. If I’m not mistaken Ripley actually was male at one point in the movies writing.

Doesn’t matter that the shift happened, it happened, Sigourney Weaver fucking smashed it out of the park and the rest is history.

If the story is good and happens to have a female lead, I don’t think people are actually against it. The Menu is the first movie to come to mind, I don’t think anyone said anything about the lead in that being female (although being a lead in an ensemble cast with damn near equivalent amounts of screen time is kind of meaningless). I think what people are against is blatant pandering because it usually indicates that the product is poor.

Edit: this is my limited, anecdotally rooted opinion. There are probably a decent amount of people who will just not watch a female lead. I’ve known women who won’t watch something or play a video game without a female lead or the ability to create a female character.

Have you never seen something get closer to a camera?

Weak bladders beware, with this one trick you will wake up early. Not the way you want.

A bullet

Unfortunately they only hang after they’ve destroyed countless lives.