Patrick Stewart
I've wanted to write a post about Patrick Stewart for a while now. But I've been putting it off since it always ends up a bit fan-girl. But I do adore the man very much.
My first introduction to Patrick Stewart was as Professor Charles Xavier from the X-Men movies. I was aware of his past in Star Trek, but as a non-nerd at the time, it was just a passing knowledge. Perhaps it was because Professor X was such a dramatically-rich and likable character, but I really liked Patrick Stewart. The next two sequels diminished in quality, proving him to be a superb actor despite a poor script.
But then came Star Trek. Though it has taken me far longer than it should to finally get into Star Trek: The Next Generation, I am finally among its fans. I began watching through periodic TV re-runs in the past few years, catching a few episodes here and there. And my appreciation for the man grew. Luckily Syfy and BBC America have been recently fond of marathons.
But it wasn't until two years ago that I realized he was not only a brilliant actor, but a brilliant human being as well. Patrick Stewart is a survivor of domestic violence. Not only is he a survivor, but he is willing to be public about his past in order to help victims today.
In the piece he wrote for the Guardian newspaper in November 2009 he described his young life with a mother he loved and his father who beat her on a regular basis. That young life was one of fear and concern and hatred for his father. He learned at a young age when to step in between the fight...something he says no child should ever have to learn. Another point he stresses is that during that time no one came to the rescue of him or his mother. Despite the angry and loud verbal and physical violence happening in close proximity to other people, no one came. No one, except Mrs. Dixon, a lovely woman who occasionally would bust open the door and ask for a go at his father, ever came to their help. When the ambulance came or the police arrived they inevitably would tell his mother than she must have provoked his anger. Stewart is quick to point out that she did not provoke him and that violence is not the proper response to anger anyway.
Stewart has lived with this trauma his whole life. Acting was his escape from the shame and pain he felt. He wrote his editorial partly on behalf on Refuge, a anti-domestic violence charity in the UK that he supports. Refuge seeks to raise awareness among the public to prevent and stop domestic violence. Stewart is very grateful that the situation has improved for women like his mother. But he is also very angry that we still live in a society that is uncaring for the physical and emotional well-being of women. Please read the article if you haven't already, he puts his feelings more urgently and eloquently than I can ever summarize.
And I think it takes a lot of strength to discuss a topic like this even today. Putting his support behind a serious problem that plagues most of the world also requires a lot of strength. He could have easily stayed silent and lived his life out without the world knowing. And because of that Patrick Stewart has become more than just another good actor. He is actually does something with the acclaim he has garnered with his talents. For better or worse we make celebrities into role-models, but Patrick Stewart is actually someone we should hold in esteem.
And with all the violence and misogyny that still exists in nerd culture, I'm glad that Patrick Stewart is such an important man. Professor X, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart...if ever the nerds needed someone to be a role-model. I wrote about nerds with chips on their shoulders who resent and hate women, and I like to think that the work Patrick Stewart is doing is helping to ease those nerds into oblivion. I find it important for men to stand against violence even more than women. It is a lot harder for men to admit being survivors and it is a lot harder to stand against men who define their masculinity with aggression.
Change is needed and the people at Refuge and at charities throughout the world are helping realize Stewart's dream of a world without domestic violence. Like everyone else, nerds need to stand up against the flaws we see in our society. As much as we hide away in our fandoms and among our own, we cannot sit idle. We cannot let those of us contribute to this violence continue to do so. After all, The Captain says "Make It So."
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