My Thoughts on "Life"
Jun. 18th, 2025 06:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedesI experienced an initial gut reaction of extreme negativity to what was revealed in "Life", but, after thinking it over, I don't think that it was warranted.
Yes, we were led to think that Yuno had an abortion, and that her story was about the residual guilt from that. But a miscarriage, even if accidental, can also cause a ton of trauma and guilt. There is a long, long history of pregnant people being blamed for their miscarriage, with reasoning varying from pseudo-scientific to religious in nature.
I also initially thought, "If she just had an accident which made her miscarry, then she shouldn't even be in Milgram!!" But, then I thought about that for, like, two seconds, and... well, the point of MILGRAM is that none of the prisoners should be there, isn't it? If we view the fetus as if it is a person for a moment, as Jackalope seems to, the only differentiating factor from other prisoners is that it was accidental. Which could be said for multiple other prisoners, too — especially the ones where they likely accidentally caused someone else's suicide: Fuuta, Mahiru and Kazui.
Yuno is still undoubtedly the most innocent prisoner there by a long shot (after all, it was a fetus, and not a person). But I think she isn't quite as out-of-place as I thought. The whole point is that it's cruel and unusual, and, even if Yuno did not make the choice to terminate her pregnancy, it is still extraordinarily common for those who experience miscarriages (especially in an accident) to feel guilt about what happened. And it's not as if the narrative of MILGRAM is saying that she's correct to feel guilty — her MV clearly portrays the accident as a traumatic event that she was a victim in.
Um idk how to end this post. Yuno is a complex character who has gone through a lot, and it is fine that she experiences trauma and shame due to her miscarriage, as that reflects the reality of countless real people who experienced the same thing. Her being portrayed as experiencing guilt is not the creators of MILGRAM saying that she is correct to feel guilt. Also innocent Yuno sweep.
Yes, we were led to think that Yuno had an abortion, and that her story was about the residual guilt from that. But a miscarriage, even if accidental, can also cause a ton of trauma and guilt. There is a long, long history of pregnant people being blamed for their miscarriage, with reasoning varying from pseudo-scientific to religious in nature.
I also initially thought, "If she just had an accident which made her miscarry, then she shouldn't even be in Milgram!!" But, then I thought about that for, like, two seconds, and... well, the point of MILGRAM is that none of the prisoners should be there, isn't it? If we view the fetus as if it is a person for a moment, as Jackalope seems to, the only differentiating factor from other prisoners is that it was accidental. Which could be said for multiple other prisoners, too — especially the ones where they likely accidentally caused someone else's suicide: Fuuta, Mahiru and Kazui.
Yuno is still undoubtedly the most innocent prisoner there by a long shot (after all, it was a fetus, and not a person). But I think she isn't quite as out-of-place as I thought. The whole point is that it's cruel and unusual, and, even if Yuno did not make the choice to terminate her pregnancy, it is still extraordinarily common for those who experience miscarriages (especially in an accident) to feel guilt about what happened. And it's not as if the narrative of MILGRAM is saying that she's correct to feel guilty — her MV clearly portrays the accident as a traumatic event that she was a victim in.
Um idk how to end this post. Yuno is a complex character who has gone through a lot, and it is fine that she experiences trauma and shame due to her miscarriage, as that reflects the reality of countless real people who experienced the same thing. Her being portrayed as experiencing guilt is not the creators of MILGRAM saying that she is correct to feel guilt. Also innocent Yuno sweep.
