Lady Eboshi: The Line between Good and Evil

Princess Mononoke is a jidaigeki (period drama) set in the late Muromachi period that follows the last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, in his journey to find a cure for a curse he received after defending his village from a demonic boar spirit. As he journeys westward, Ashitaka discovers that a human settlement called Irontown has cleared out the forests to manufacture weapons, angering the spirits that live within. Thus, Ashitaka takes it upon himself to make peace with Irontown and the spirits before it's too late.

Shoemaker and Reese (2014) contend that media content does not mirror reality. Thus, the media one consumes is, more often than not, a case that is not necessarily authentic in reality. And though the statement might seem pessimistic, it can also bring about content with the potential to change the perceptions of society for the better. Before the 21^st century, there was a notable underrepresentation of women in media content, and those who were able to get behind the screen were often cast into roles that leaned into harmful stereotypes such as a helpless victim in horror films or as a highly-coveted bombshell in action films (Yang et al., 2020).

However, Hayao Miyazaki had a different purpose in mind for the women in his film entitled Princess Mononoke (released in 1997), which gave us Lady Eboshi, the leader of Irontown. An idealist who let her empathy and nobility blind her to the destruction she wrought upon the world. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

We first see Lady Eboshi leading a caravan through a desolate mountainside in the rain. When San, the female protagonist of the film, comes with the wolf spirits to disrupt Lady Eboshi’s transportation of supplies, she gave out orders to her men to calm the oxen down and wait for San to come closer before firing the rifles. From this scene alone, we can infer that Lady Eboshi was a leader, calm under pressure while also being ruthless in her retaliation. One can also assume that she was the antagonist when we take into consideration her role in the destruction of the forests. But as we delve deeper into the film, we begin to wonder whether she truly is a villain or not as we recognize the complexity behind her character.

Lady Eboshi is a character of contradictions. In a culture where women were relegated to the fringes, her role in the film as the progressive leader of Irontown is remarkable. She rejected gender expectations by not conforming to solely feminine standards. Her physical features embody this ideal in various forms. She had a large and imposing physique, her height dwarfing most men in the film, including the male protagonist Ashitaka. She also wears a hakama, a kimono typically worn only by men. The height and outfit would befit a masculine ideal if it were not for her hair and facial features. Her long hair is tied up on the front with a pink ribbon and she wears lipstick for the entirety of the film, both of which are clear indicators of one’s femininity.

Her character is also one of the most nuanced I have ever seen in a Ghibli film. Under her leadership, Irontown became a haven of industry and gender equality at the expense of the natural environment. Gunsmithing is typically a male-dominated industry (Sangiorgio, 2020) but in Irontown, women were prominently shown to be the ones laboring over the manufacture of weapons. And these women were not just any ordinary women, but former prostitutes who were freed by Lady Eboshi. The architects of the guns themselves were lepers who Lady Eboshi took pity on and welcomed into Irontown, though they were hidden away from the rest due to their disease. Lady Eboshi was someone who did not stand for discrimination in Irontown, as can be seen from her empowerment of women and recruitment of the maligned. However, her empathy towards other human beings did not extend towards the natural environment.

The area around Irontown was noticeably bereft of trees and other vegetation. Lady Eboshi did not care about what happened to the environment as long as Irontown was able to prosper. She ordered her men to cut down trees and mine for iron ores, which angered the spirits that lived within the forests. She even made a deal with the Emperor to kill the Forest Spirit in exchange for protection from the daimyos (feudal lords). Croteau and Hoynes (2019) believe that media content is influenced by one’s ideologies and Miyazaki brought his philosophy into the film by highlighting the senselessness of war. He developed an anti-war sentiment from the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s (Anderson, 2019) and made sure that his characters in the film knew that their actions had consequences. Lady Eboshi was successful in killing the Forest Spirit but Irontown was destroyed and she also had her arm bitten off by a wolf spirit, nearly losing her life in the process. She realized too late the severity of her actions that by inciting conflict with nature, she also brought about the destruction of all her endeavors. Nonetheless, her arc had a worthwhile ending when she repented for her transgressions against nature, promising reparations for all she did in the past.

Princess Mononoke was a departure from the fun and adventurous films that Miyazaki was known for, which included Porco Rosso and Kiki's Delivery Service. This film is a demonstration of Miyazaki's inherent love for the environment and his anger towards the people who take advantage of nature for their own selfish motivations.

Overall, the film was a good representation of women in media content. Women were given prominent screentime, with Lady Eboshi standing out as someone who justified her wanton destruction of nature with her own philanthropic ideals. Nevertheless, her desire to provide a better place for the marginalized people of society was a noble motivation, and she redeemed herself in the finale with the promise of rebuilding Irontown into a better place and looking after the forests from now on. The film is a masterpiece, one that should be emulated whenever one constructs the concept of a woman in media content by letting her humanity show through the screen. And even though the film may not have mirrored reality in the sense that it rejected the historical accuracy of the time period, we can witness the good and evil in humanity through the character that is Lady Eboshi.

References:

Anderson, K. (2019, May 14). PRINCESS MONONOKE Might Be Miyazaki’s Angriest Film. Nerdist. https://nerdist.com/article/princess-mononoke-might-be-miyazakis-most-beautiful-film/

Croteau, D. R., Hoynes, W. D., & Childress, C. (2019). Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content, and Users (Sixth ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Sangiorgio, M. P. (2020, September 28). Crafting a Career Change to Gunsmithing. NRA Women. https://www.nrawomen.com/content/crafting-a-career-change-to-gunsmithing/

Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (2014). Mediating the Message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Yang, L., Xu, Z., & Luo, J. (2020). Measuring Female Representation and Impact in Films over Time. ACM/IMS Transactions on Data Science, 1(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411213

Kyrie Irving: The Maligned?

Kyrie Irving is one of the most enthralling players the NBA has ever seen. Not just because he hit one of the clutchest shots ever in Game 7 of the NBA Finals (Aschburner, 2021) or because he is universally regarded as the best ball handler in NBA history (Murphy, 2021), but also because of his controversial nature. He has quite an erratic relationship with the media, and that has only worsened in recent years when it was revealed that he did not take the COVID vaccination. His reputation has cratered and no media personality has had more influence on how people perceive Kyrie Irving than Stephen A. Smith.

Considered by many as the face of ESPN (Bet-David, 2019), Smith has been covering the NBA for more than 30 years and has remarkable cachet in the sport of basketball. Thus, when someone with the influence of Smith rebukes Irving, people will tend to listen and act accordingly by maligning him in social media and in real life (Lewis, 2022). It doesn’t help that Kyrie Irving has called the media as “pawns” in the past (Hartwell, 2020), which is interesting because Smith, and ESPN in extension, operate according to, what Croteau and Hoynes (2019) refer to as political forces shaping the environment. Kyrie Irving not playing basketball due to being unvaccinated is a detriment to his team, the Brooklyn Net’s profitability, due to people not tuning in to watch the Nets whenever Irving is not playing. ESPN, having a multi-billion dollar deal with the NBA (Paulsen, 2017) is also losing money when broadcasting Nets games and immediately after reports of Irving being unvaccinated became known, they made segments during their talk shows to create a narrative structure (Shoemaker and Reese, 2014) that would frame Kyrie as delusional and a dissenter. These included Smith questioning his credibility and character (ESPN, 2021a), advocating for fining Irving (ESPN, 2020), and even saying that he should retire (ESPN, 2021b). Thus, Smith is producing what Shoemaker and Reese call news judgement that portrays Irving in a negative light.

However, Irving recently shared his experiences in the past few years on his Twitch channel last week. He addressed the “pawns” situation by stating that the media, specifically ESPN, had a negative bias when reporting on Irving even while he was on the Boston Celtics from 2018 till 2020 (Irving, 2022). He opened up about how dealing with grief from his grandfather’s death was a big factor in the deterioration of his mental health at the time and that complications from a serious medical procedure while dealing with his injury was what led him to not attend his teammates’ playoff game, a situation that led Smith to call out Irving as being a disruptor on his team (ESPN, 2019). Both of these things were never reported by ESPN and interestingly enough, Irving’s stream was never addressed or given any segments by ESPN since then.

Now I don’t want to sound like an apologist when discussing Irving’s character. He is still anti-vaxx, believes in a flat earth, and has been one of the most polarizing superstars in the current NBA. However, all of this can be true while also being aware that he has had and have mental health issues that are not being addressed properly by the NBA media, especially ESPN. It is important to consider that mental health affects everyone, and that we should maintain the proper decorum whenever we are discussing someone who is going through a lot in life. If ESPN can endorse Kevin Love and DeMar Derozan when they were opening up about their mental health issues, then Irving, as controversial as he is, should also be afforded the same respect and attention that other players have.

REFERENCES:

Aschburner, S. (2021, September 15). Top NBA Finals moments: Kyrie Irving’s clutch 3-pointer seals 2016 Finals. NBA. https://www.nba.com/news/history-finals-moments-kyrie-irving-clutch-3-2016

Bet-David, P. [Valuetainment]. (2019, October 10). Stephen A. Smith’s Story - The Face of ESPN [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQUgvNjFDPs

Croteau, D. R., Hoynes, W. D., & Childress, C. (2019). Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content, and Users (Sixth ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

ESPN. (2019, June 6). Kyrie is leaving the Celtics since he’s being labeled a “disruptive force” - Stephen A. | First Take [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVD-41RftZc

ESPN. (2020, December 8). Stephen A. goes OFF on Kyrie Irving | First Take [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WL2pFxJIjE

ESPN. (2021a, January 13). Stephen A. says Kyrie Irving should retire | First Take [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z81VQBtWnYU

ESPN. (2021b, January 20). Stephen A. reacts to Kyrie Irving’s press conference explaining his Nets absence | Stephen A’s World [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY3bu0Z1y3Y

Hartwell, D. (2020, December 11). Kyrie Irving refers to media as “pawns” in strong reaction to NBA fine. RSN. https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kyrie-irving-refers-media-pawns-strong-reaction-nba-fine

Lewis, B. (2022, April 16). Kyrie Irving refuses to let Boston’s hatred affect Nets in playoff series. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2022/04/15/nba-playoffs-kyrie-irving-refuses-to-let-bostons-hatred-affect-nets/

Murphy, R. (2021, March 18). Top 10 best ball handlers in NBA history. The TwinSpires Edge. https://edge.twinspires.com/nba/the-best-ball-handlers-in-nba-history/

Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (2014). Mediating the Message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Paulsen, P. (2017, October 30). NBA Announces 9-Year Extension With ESPN, Turner, Through 2025. Sports Media Watch. https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2014/10/nba-tv-deal-espn-abc-tnt-nine-year-deal-2025-24-billion-lockout/

Distortion in media:

Robredo v. Marcos

Journalism is a discipline that has many challenges. Long hours, high competition, and personal investment in the stories they report on would often lead many journalists to risk their well-being in their field of work (Ziabari & Boynton, 2022). These are frustrating dilemmas that one must face when becoming a journalist, not to mention their professional responsibility to society. Shoemaker and Reese (2014) stated that the professional logic of journalism is to advocate for ethical practice, truth-seeking, fairness, and equality. To add to this, the Society of Professional Journalists lists five reasons why the ethical responsibility that journalists have is significant (McIndoo, 2018). It (1) ensures the distribution of quality information, (2) holds people, especially those in positions of power accountable for their actions, (3) empowers the public, (4) provides comfort and knowledge to communities seeking information on tragic events, and (5) is the cornerstone of an informed citizenry who can use their voices to change society.

redditsave.com_unprofessional_net25_having_a_separate_news-b1cpsmxglb191.mp4

Unfortunately, an ethical journalist is not a guarantee in the world. Just this week, a news segment from Mata ng Agila, the evening primetime news program of NET25, went viral on various social media platforms (Madarang, 2022). It was about the recent social media posts of the Robredo family for the graduation of Jillian, the youngest daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo, from New York University. The reporters used partisan language not just to insinuate that Robredo and her daughters are kulang sa pansin and “celebrity wannabees,” but also to prop up Bongbong Marcos and his three sons. The reporter went on to shame Robredo for exuding an angelic image and personality while blaming the Marcos camp for putting out rumors that circulated on social media regarding a scandalous video involving Aika Robredo, with the reporter explicitly stating that inimbento lang ng mga Robredo dahil wala namang nakakita nito. The report ended with the praise of Bongbong Marcos’ sons, Sandro, Michael, and Vincent for their inactivity on social media and their humility.

This segment is problematic because it violates the journalist’s ethical responsibility by being what Croteau and Hoynes (2019) call an institution using the media to promote a political agenda. Through mediatization, NET25 has much influence as a public service media, with the ability to influence and shape the perceptions of its viewers on certain topics and issues. By portraying Bongbong Marcos and his sons as paragons of virtue while denigrating the Robredo family, they are explicitly favoring one political party over another. Now that we are in the digital age, where “fake news” and disinformation can spread faster than ever before, we must stay vigilant and be aware of the political impact of institutions using “post-truth” in media to distort the facts and make us question our reality (Cushion, 2019). Thus, I advise everyone to fact-check the news you see and ensure that we are still part of an informed and engaged citizenry in what would most likely be a dark age in our country.

References:

Croteau, D. R., Hoynes, W. D., & Childress, C. (2019). Media/Society: Technology, Industries, Content, and Users (Sixth ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Cushion, S. (2019). The Political Impact of Media. In Curran, J and Hesmondhalgh, D. (eds). Media and Society. 6th edition. Bloomsbury Academic.

Madarang, C. (2022, May 24). Backlash over TV news show’s reporting on Robredos’ NYC trip. Interaksyon. https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2022/05/24/217927/backlash-over-tv-news-shows-reporting-on-robredos-nyc-trip/

McIndoo, E. (2018, April 25). Journalism ethics are more important than ever. The Newsleaders. https://thenewsleaders.com/journalism-ethics-are-more-important-than-ever/

Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (2014). Mediating the Message in the 21st Century: A Media Sociology Perspective (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Ziabari, K., & Boynton, R. (2022, March 24). The State of Press Freedom in Finland. Fair Observer. https://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/journalist-safety-media-organizations-committee-to-protect-journalists-world-news-23902/

Page updated

Report abuse