This is a weird tangent, but I just rewatched Jurassic World the other night (spoilers ahead!), and this line reminded me of Hoskins' last words: “I’m on your side.” A lie. He only wanted the raptors on his side for his own goals. And the raptor, smart enough to know that, killed him instead. That’s in direct contrast with Owen Grady, who really means it when he says, “I don’t control the raptors, it’s a relationship.” When he faces them for the last time in the movie, he’s not just trying to survive by getting on their good side. He wants to restore the relationship that was broken, because it matters to him. It does lead to his survival, but he didn’t know that when he took the camera off Blue’s face, inviting her to trust again.

Allow me to propose Velociraptorism (granted, it’s harder to say). I am strong and dangerous all on my own, with instincts and weapons that no one can take away. I can’t be controlled, but I can be influenced, and I care about the people in relationship with me. I work with men, in particular with my man, as a team. They are not all my enemies.

Hoskins is. He’s the “ally” who only wants my power to further his own ends. But I see through him in a second, and my teeth are unmerciful.

The Indominus Rex could be the amalgamation of all the various deadly lies that circulate through the culture. Part of it is Velociraptor DNA. That’s the lie of victimhood feminism, telling me that all men are my enemies and I can’t fight for myself, meaning I have to follow my “new alpha” as she destroys every last hint of masculinity. When I refuse to do so, the I-Rex quickly turns on me.

That’s okay. I don’t need the I-Rex. Surprisingly enough, I find a true ally in the T-Rex, which might be the traditional values or gender roles that I once used to fight. The twisted version of those are in the I-Rex, too, but at the root of many traditions, there’s a real respect for womanhood. These offer me a springboard to fight the I-Rex’s lies.