Spoilers X-Men '97 spoilers

[Zeromaru X]

Today's chapter was just EPIC. Trending on Twitter again. And the last 10 minutes are intense.

 

[trappedslider]

holy naughty word they did it.

 

[billd91]

The Fantastic Four are celebrities and the X-Men ... aren't.

We've been there before. These white guys from major league baseball are celebrities - these players from the Negro League... aren't. Elvis can get played on white-dominated radio and with most record labels, these black artists who influenced Elvis have to be relegated to lesser known "race records".

 

[Thomas Shey]

We've been there before. These white guys from major league baseball are celebrities - these players from the Negro League... aren't. Elvis can get played on white-dominated radio and with most record labels, these black artists who influenced Elvis have to be relegated to lesser known "race records".

Its not a great parallel though, since there's an obvious visual difference there. With mutants, there isn't; Jean Grey doesn't look any different than a particularly good looking redheaded human. Some are, of course, but so are characters like Ben Grimm.

Probably antisemitism is a better analogy.

 

[billd91]

Its not a great parallel though, since there's an obvious visual difference there. With mutants, there isn't; Jean Grey doesn't look any different than a particularly good looking redheaded human. Some are, of course, but so are characters like Ben Grimm.

Probably antisemitism is a better analogy.

Maybe... if Ben weren't Jewish (as he canonically is) or if the Nazis hadn't based some of their anti-Semitic rhetoric and persecution on how Jews looked (in facial features, dress, hair, etc) despite many looking like any other Germans. But nitpicking about which civil rights fight is the more appropriate isn't really the point. The point is we HAVE discriminated between groups that are otherwise extremely similar on differences that are patently arbitrary. And while maybe other types of discrimination may be more closely fitting now (particularly against LGBTQ+ identities), the lessons taught through the discrimination the X-Men face throughout their history, from the very beginning, has always been about equality of rights, access to, and participation in society without fear of oppression or separation.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I just think there's often been a "hidden menace" element to the reaction to mutants that works better with some parallels than others.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I just think there's often been a "hidden menace" element to the reaction to mutants that works better with some parallels than others.

I dont find the subtle or not-so-subtle erasure of the racial parallels (Mutants = Black people), particularly surprising on these boards but I can assure you as someone who wasn't a fan of the original X-men animated show I find this show, particularly on point in addressing how specifically black people are viewed and treated in this country.

I can also CLEARLY see how the parallels address the queer community as well.

And considering that that the former showrunner is both BLACK and GAY? The parallels for both groups are pretty clear if you're paying attention.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I dont find the subtle or not-so-subtle erasure of the racial parallels (Mutants = Black people), particularly surprising on these boards but I can assure you as someone who wasn't a fan of the original X-men animated show I find this show, particularly on point in addressing how specifically black people are viewed and treated in this country.

I can also CLEARLY see how the parallels address the queer community as well.

And considering that that the former showrunner is both BLACK and GAY? The parallels for both groups are pretty clear if you're paying attention.

I don't think I'm doing erasure. I just don't think that as a parallel to blatant racial differences works. For ethnic groups that don't necessarily show obvious physical signs, or things like the LGBT community it works fine. If you want to project that on me as wanting to deny more blatant racial comparisons for whatever reason you think I'm doing so other than my not thinking its a good fit, that's your business but don't expect me to do anything but roll my eyes.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I don't think I'm doing erasure. I just don't think that as a parallel to blatant racial differences works. For ethnic groups that don't necessarily show obvious physical signs, or things like the LGBT community it works fine. If you want to project that on me as wanting to deny more blatant racial comparisons for whatever reason you think I'm doing so other than my not thinking its a good fit, that's your business but don't expect me to do anything but roll my eyes.

You can roll your eyes all you want. I said what I said, just like you said what you said. If you dont want to accept a different and pretty well established view point on this that's on you.

But it's been established in well over 30-40 years of comics that mutants = any underrepresented and oppressed minority including black people. Black people (particularly in the US) have a stigma for being othered and not being viewed as HUMAN. It's why its so easy for LE to murder unarmed black civilians and the public to shrug and mutter: "He/She must have been doing something to deserve it" (less so these days but still). We are consistently thought of as less intelligent, less productive and so much less than human in general that it was OKAY to conduct medical experimentation on us. See the Tuskegee Experiment. See the HeLa Cells removed from Henrietta Lacks. See the start and history of gynecological science. See the discourse and common belief among medical professionals that black people dont need and are to be given less medication for pain because of the belief that we universally have high tolerances for it.

But real worlds analogies aside: There's a reason why in the 80's Chris Claremont had Kitty Pride (on more than one occasion, once in GOD LOVES MAN KILLS and again in UNCANNY X-MEN 196) equate the word n*gg*r to the word mutie. And it's not until much later that she also equates it to homophobic slurs as well.

But SURE...it doesn't work as well as a parallel to blatant racial differences. I mean it's not like it's not been right there in the comics for DECADES.

 

[Stalker0]

Its true that mutant = analogy for other downtrodden groups is a long standing comic tradition.

For me the problem with that has always been, that mutants aren't just different, they represent an entirely different power dynamic. Which is why Prof X's position is just a faulty one to me.

Its not as simple as "you are different than me, I should show tolerance."

Its.... "if you sneeze wrong you can destroy my house, me, and my entire family".


If we look at one of the more recent episodes. Magneto shut down Earth....like the planet. He turned off civilization like its a light switch. And now apparently he is damaging the magnetic sphere so much that if the Xmen don't stop him Earth will be ruined.

When Xavier said to Magneto, "we are NOT gods". My immediate reaction was "um your not?".

That's not the kind of thing people can learn to tolerate, because again its not about difference, its about power, and when one group has absolute and total power over you should they choose to use it....humans are never going to be ok with that. While the Xmen want their message to be "we should love and tolerate people that are different than us", the real message of that world is "you should love and tolerate those have absolute power over you".

A very different message.