#DON'TGiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend
Okay, so let me first just put this out there...
I'm not a homophobic person.
This statement is important before the pseudo liberal people bash me over any medium for being so for my next batch of statements. [Liberals sometimes you guys are just bad as the right wing trolls on the Internet, you give those who fight the good fight; a bad name.]
Some might say, the fact that I have to make that statement indicates otherwise but in this generation of people that will unnecessarily without sense try to torch you for the smallest joke or indignation, it's important to come out with it.
My statement above is in regards to my defense in a position that has currently taken twitter by storm;
#givecaptainamericaaboyfriend.
It's a trend that is making round on Twitter with a frenzy as of now.
I have a really big issue with this.
It stems from the first fact that as far as the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes, Captain America as a character is already in a romantic triste with Sharon Carter, seen by their kiss in this year's Civil War movie.
Prior to this, Steve shared what is possibly one of the best superhero movie romances with Peggy Carter and is still in search for that elusive dance.
So sure, it doesn't mean he cannot love another man; specifically the twitter trends clamor to see Steve and his long time friend Bucky to fall for one another.
This is where the hashtag for me personally takes a dark turn.
I'd like to take you back, to my own experiences. There are many times in my schooling years, I have shared great friendships and camaraderie with my male buddy's. More importantly I always had this thing where for some odd reason, I'd have a "Best Friend", the one person I was always seen hanging out with.
Now as school, whether high or otherwise, it is school and since I was always such an oddball character, no doubt the insults came pouring in. My best friend became my "partner", it became common to find myself paired with the said person and laughed at what we did "behind the curtains".
Truth be told, with my constant need to be alone; nobody could be considered my "friend" as such, I barely felt like I knew anything about my peers to make a true genuine connect. [This is an issue to tackle some other day].
The fact of the matter is, this kind of bullying is common place for many people and the tag is to even among two not so close friends.
It's this kind of thing that eventually snowball's into the whole issue of Toxic Masculinity and that men have got to be men, there cannot be any affection of an elevated kind between two friends and two brothers until they're mature and old enough for this affection to be seen as nothing more than brotherhood. Yet that mentality of keeping a distance and just enjoying each others company and nothing else is maintained.
You can't share your feelings with a "brother", they can't know how much you mean to them or for the sake of it share an emotional moment. The world is slowly changing as we mature things are becoming better to the point that the word 'Bromance' is used for such relationships, I love that word but once again the title insinuates a relationship beyond friendship.
That's why it's fun to see the kind of dichotomy in a friendship between two soldiers. Being a soldier is such a macho, manly thing yet the camaraderie between brothers in the army could be misconstrued in another part of the world.
The kind that has fallen onto the eyes of the so called twitter and hashtag spouting pseudo equal rights supporters. Rather than focusing their strength on major issues that affect the free rights of gay men and women, they go for this.
Look I'm not saying having a Gay Superhero representative isn't important, heck I feel cinema and pop culture is such an influential tool; it should be used to improve our view of the world and if we can do something to influence that improvement, then the better.
Better yet, rather than force an orientation into an already established character; why not push MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT to do the opposite and bring in one of their other originally gay characters to the forefront of the the Cinematic Universe.
That would be a real #TRIUMPH!
For those spouting this ridiculous trend, are those with no idea of what character consistency means, what the in house universe that has been built in these Marvel films means and have no idea how true friendship between two men [and even women] works.
In the MCU; Bucky represents everything that Steve has lost, it's a childhood friend who fought the fights for him when Steve never could as a scrawny kid, he wasn't always the sexy chiselled Chris Evans you know?!
Bucky is Cap's blind spot and hence the reason he and Iron Man go to war this summer.
Go back and watch all three Captain America movies, go back and understand what Bucky truly means to Steve; it's more than a relationship that can be defined by any label.
It's something transcendent and you just want to make them Boyfriends, for what satisfaction? That inner happiness that you "did something" for equal rights?
Please, just go home.
Cap and Bucky are hopefully never going to be in a relationship due to a silly hashtag.
But Cap and Bucky will be together...
...till the End of the Line.
'Nuff Said
Aneesh Raikundalia
