Not every Ghostbusters fan has a hidden misogynistic agenda. (contrary to what most of these articles and reviews would lead you to believe)

When I was growing up, I was a Ghostbusters super fan (Ninja Turtles too). I had everything from the franchise: proton pack, the trap, PKE meter, collectibles, clothes, movies, video games, Ghostbusters HQ (where the slime oozes through the building), and hundreds of Ghostbusters toys. The sheer volume of my Ghostbusters toy collection was only matched by my sister’s sea of naked Barbie dolls (and yes, those two worlds collided. Even though Barbie was too big to fit inside Ghostbusters HQ).

So, when the Ghostbusters2016 trailer was released you could imagine my disappointment when NONE of those iconic characters were in it. Who are the Ghostbusters? Well, if you weren’t a fan of the series, let me tell you who the Ghostbuster are, they are: Peter, Winston, Ray and Egon.

If you’re making a movie for fans, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make those fans happy? I’m in business, so if I want to reach a specific target market, I don’t reach out to potential clients with a product they don’t like, or don’t want. If I was in the meat processing industry, my prospective clients probably aren’t Vegans. Nor would I disguise a meat product as vegan and try to sell it to Vegans. (Knowing your audience)

So, what’s wrong with an all female cast? Well, nothing, it just doesn’t feel like Ghostbusters.

Let me explain - I’m not saying women shouldn’t have more significant roles in movies or that women can’t be Ghostbusters (that’s absurd), it’s just, as a super fan you wanted to relive the nostalgia of your childhood. In marketing, they teach you that nostalgia marketing (if done correctly) is very profitable! Nostalgia gives you that good feeling inside, cherished memories from your past; with Ghostbuster2016 - connection lost. I felt nothing for it, to me, it felt like a paranormal comedy with the name Ghostbusters slapped on it. A slap that I felt across my face. (fu*k your childhood)

Let’s take a moment to talk about Branding, a brand is a consumers conceived perception of a product or service. A brand is the reason why you can’t imagine Heinz ice-cream tasting good. Hypothetically, let's say Heinz makes a delicious ice-cream and tries to target ice-cream consumers with Heinz Brand ice-cream. What immediately comes to mind? Ketchup ice-cream? Well, that's branding. (Pardon my ketchup analogy, I'm Canadian, we put ketchup on everything)

That branding analogy is the same reason why I won’t go see the new Ghostbusters movie. The Ghostbusters brand, to me, was Peter, Winston, Ray and Egon capturing ghosts.

I think James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd) said it best, “if this is the ghostbusters movie that nobody wanted, then the box office should reflect that” he’s absolutely right! When you buy a ticket, you're casting a vote. (Benefit of a doubt or not)

Do you remember that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remake with the all female cast of characters? You know Joan (The tactical, courageous leader), Christine (free-spirited, goofy jokester), Isabella (the brainy scientist), and Vittoria (the emotional bad girl)? No? You don’t remember that because it didn’t happen! Because without those iconic male renaissance names (Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael) you don’t have the teenage mutant ninja turtles anymore. Could you change them to all female characters? Sure, but it wouldn’t make sense. Would it?

Cinematic Branding isn’t just limited to male-to-female role changes. If Gerard Butler, Damian Lewis, and Daniel Craig were the lead roles in the new action adventure “Charlies Angels”, I would be equally pissed! I mean, they got the hair colors right, but wtf?

Sadly, because this whole misogyny thing is getting so out of hand, I’ll end this by saying that I am a big fan of Kristen Wiig, she’s a beauty and a talented actress and my boycott of the movie has nothing to do with her or the other talented female actresses. It is purely because the industry missed the mark on capturing the Ghostbusters audience.

For any Feminists that took the time to read this, don’t think for a second that the movie industry isn’t fueling your rage (misdirecting your equality agenda - for dollars and cents). Because, at the end of the day, the movie industry wants YOUR money. If anything, your battle shouldn’t be with the fans of the franchise, it should be with the movie industry. If the movie industry really cared about the feminist movement, the industry would reflect that by giving more significant roles to women. (and not by rehashing iconic male characters from popular franchises as females)

Here's some food for thought. What did the female actresses get paid in comparison to their male counter parts (adjusting for 27 years of inflation)? If we're talking about equality, shouldn't that be the question, not dictating the films popularity?

Thanks for taking the time to read

me 1989