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L (wildhope) wrote,
@ 2008-01-22 03:40:00

Entry tags:

articles, chloe sullivan, lois lane (sv), smallville

Lois vs Chloe
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Lois vs Chloe

I recently joined the KSite forums under the name I assume here at InsaneJournal, wildhope. I haven't read very many threads, but yesterday one in particular caught my eye. It was a poll that asked, "Does Lois deserve her job at the Daily Planet?" It's a simple question with several different options, but while I'll admit I didn't take the time to read all 50+ pages of commentary, but I noticed what I consider a disturbing trend. The thread that was initially opened to ask if Smallville's version of Lois Lane deserves the job they've given her has turned into Lois vs Chloe.

Granted, two of the choices mention Chloe, but I don't think that was the point. There are some who believe Chloe is the true Lois Lane, or want her to be, so the option had to be included. Some also feel Lois got the job very easily compared to Chloe, therefore there's an option for that. Chloe is only mentioned in these instances to give options, and perhaps to offer a point of comparison. The poll itself had nothing to do with Chloe.

What I don't understand is why it seems like there's a war between the fans of Lois and Chloe. Does one or the other deserve a job at the Planet more than the other? I don't think so. They seem to have the same amount of potential and talent. The problem here is the way these two characters are written. Chloe was given her job at the Planet too soon and Lois was made to look like an incompetent whore. Both characters deserve better.

Please people, let's not blame the characters or their fans for what's happened to them. Let's put the blame where it really belongs: The Idiots In Charge.

Edited to add this note: I do not think Lois is a whore. It's just my opinion that she's been written in a way that would give that impression to so many people. Do not flame me.

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(Anonymous)
2008-01-25 05:32 pm UTC (link)

I don't see Lois as an incompetent whore, but thats just me... if you're gonna look at any of the girls on SV, none of them are whores... Lois hadn't even slept with her serious ex boyfriend Oliver (she made the comment All Interuptus and No Coitus), and none of her previous dates got that far... that didn't stop people from calling her a whore anyway, so it didn't surprise me that people label her "an even bigger whore" just for dating her boss.. maybe its just me, but I no longer have a problem with it.. she didn't get any favors for it, she didn't automatically rise to the top for it, no one even knew about it, except for Chloe who found out later. So what is the big freakin deal? If it wasn't that, it was going to be something else with Lois-haters cause thats how it is. They're so invested in Chloe, and they want her to be Lois so she ends up with Clark, that they trash every little tiny thing that Lois does, they never offer her praise no matter what, and they even revert to trashing the actress about her looks or acting ability.. even if they don't know her personally, her character is enough for them to diss Erica Durance.

What is stupid is that the ones who want Chloe to be Lois, they degrade Lois for the same things that they praise Chloe for, they bring up Lois' past of working at the Talon (like no one ever started out as a waitress, ooh how unrealistic is that? *sarcasm*) but the moment anyone brings up Chloe's past, like backstabbing Clark going to Lionel in favor for her first DP column, that is shot down right away or said that it was Clarks fault for lying to Chloe. When Chloe withheld informaton from Lois, after telling Lois she could trust her, then later on gloating to Clark about lying to her, they praised Chloe! I understand they hate Lois, but seriously.. if Lois did that to Chloe, they would have been jumping all over that! As for the Does Lois Deserve question at Ksite, you'll find alot of those, and evem if they don't have ANYTHING to do with Chloe, you'll see her name being brought up... you can't even talk about Lois in a positive light without someone spewing how Chloe is a better cousin, a better friend, a better journalist, she looks better, Allison Mack is the better actress, etc... its a trend Ive seen there, and I guess it doesn't help when the site creator and most of the mods completely allow it. Anyway, the thing with me is, I like both Chloe AND Lois, it IS possible to like both, although you wouldn't think so at places like KSite or TWoP.. I think comparing them is stupid... yes they may have some of the same qualities (I mean hellllo they are cousins, they are bound to have a few), but they are both different in their approach to journalism... I believe Deknight had an interview once about how they wrote Chloe and Lois in journalism, and he said (paraphrasing): With Chloe you see the more computer savvy, research approach to journalism, with Lois you the more outdoorsy, investigative, physical side of journalism... both are good approaches, one isn't better than the other...

Chloe had 4 years of High School newspaper before going to the DP (after getting a column by making a bad deal with Lionel), and Lois worked at a tabloid for a year, sure, it was a tabloid but it was actual work experience, both got into the DP but didn't get their articles printed when they got in... Chloe's first by line, she got with the help of Lois and CLark going undercover at a strip club and all her other articles are because of Clark and whatever mishap he got into, Lois got her articles on her own by actually going out, investigating, getting into trouble, going undercover, whatever, when she worked at the Tabloid.. however, since being at the DP hasn't been able to get any articles published because Grant kept turning them down (and people think she was going up in the ranks for dating him lol), so I'd say neither of them is getting anywhere yet.

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