cashew | So did this Vox writer fail World History or something?

The recent hullabaloo about Wonder Woman 1984 made me curious about reviews and as I was reading them, I happened upon this old review from back in 2017 on the first Wonder Woman movie. Quote:

She and her handlers arrive at the edge of a place known as “No Man’s Land,”...all the men around her try to explain that she can’t cross “No Man’s Land.”

It's like the writer of this article doesn't know that no man's land refers to the stretch of land between the trenches in WWI. No man's land isn't a "place known as"; it's literally a stretch of dirt. There's no need to use scare quotes because it is literally the fucking terminology. Also, there's no reason to capitalize the damn name, because it's not a proper noun.

This sentence structure is akin to writing Wonder Woman sees an animal the natives call 'Domestic Cat' and they explained to her the 'Domestic Cat' is a mammalian species in the genius Felis and domesticated as household pets. Do you see how absurd it is to put "Domestic Cat" in scare quotes in this sentence? It implies the animal is not a cat, only to tell tell us that the cat is in fact a cat.

What really cements my suspicions that the writer has no idea what no man's land refers to is this following paragraph:

What’s brilliant about this scene is that it’s not only representative of Diana standing up for what she believes in, nor is it solely an instance where she succeeds in doing what was previously thought to be impossible — all while inspiring her handlers and her allies to push forward. Rather, it’s a beautiful combination of those things.

JFC, the soldiers know it can be crossed. No man's land is not taken for literal by anyone in the trenches. Yet the article treats the name as if it was literal, rather than just a descriptor of how nobody stands in that area when at war. No man's land is meant to be charged over as quickly as possible and the men know every time they charge there will be casualties. Hundreds of casualties.

This moment was not Diana inspiring the men to do something they fear (which they have been doing for years in this war BTW), but rather that it can be done without the death toll associated with it. This is the moment that demonstrates Diana's single word quality as a superhero, mercy. Diana, unlike other heroes, doesn't just inspire, she brings mercy to the people who need it. She saves and forgives and loves. She gives people a reason to be less cynical and more hopeful. She gives them a reason to believe in kindness.

And the kicker of it was that at the end of the movie, Diana needed a little reminding from time to time that kindness she gives is not doled out on worthiness, but because she's able.