Social Justice in Agent Carter

Now something having good social justice points does not automatically make a work of fiction good. But an already good piece of fiction having good representation makes it even better.

Gathering Blue (the second book in Lois Lowry's The Giver Quartet) is what I love to point out as having a great social justice message, but should only be read for that reason as it's godawful.

Agent Carter, on the other hand, has a great story and great characters and is also good on a social justice level. One of the big things is that the woman and disabled man are the two people in the SSR that move the plot along the most.

Agent Peggy Carter

The setting of this show is important for Carter's storyline. During the time of the show, sexism was more prevalent than it is today. And discussing sexism is one of the points of this show, both with Carter and the other female characters, so changing the time period would ruin that.

The discussion of sexism with Carter reminds me of how Clarice Sterling was treated in The Silence of the Lambs (both in the book and movie versions).

After the war is over she is back in the U.S. with none of the respect she had during the war. Being in the SSR after the war means that her skills as an agent are reduced to secretary work. Here is a woman that can kick ass and take names, but is reduced to getting lunch and coffee.

With Jarvis, she tries to prove that Howard Stark is innocent. She is able to make a lot of headway while the actual SSR is too caught up in their hatred of Stark to get anywhere fast. She is also not suspected for the majority of the series because she's a woman.

Agent Daniel Sousa

Sousa is physically disabled from a war wound. The disabled and women are two looked down upon types of people. The only reason Sousa is able to be listened to and get stuff done is because he's a man. If he had been a disabled woman he would be looked down as much, or more than, Carter.

This isn't to say that he is looked highly upon in the SSR as he still isn't given proper respect. People tease him more than others, especially about a romance with Carter that doesn't actually happen.

However, he is still able to get things done and move the plot forwards even if it is on the opposing side to Carter's. From seeing wounds on Carter's body, he is able to figure out that she was the blonde woman that the whole SSR had been confused about.

There are, of course, many things to talk about this show. But I'll leave those things for other posts.