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Marvel movie characters as a framework for understanding black/white race relations
Marvel movie characters as a framework for understanding black/white race relations
IRON MAN
Knows that he benefits from white privilege but doesn’t give a crap. Tells black people to pull themselves up by their boot straps. Believes in the meritocracy. Says “acts over feelings” and doesn’t care about your experiences b/c he’s White...I mean...Iron Man.
Knows that he benefits from white privilege but doesn’t give a crap. Tells black people to pull themselves up by their boot straps. Believes in the meritocracy. Says “acts over feelings” and doesn’t care about your experiences b/c he’s White...I mean...Iron Man.
CAPTAIN AMERICA
Nice guy who wishes everyone could just get along. Thinks racism is a sin problem and not a skin problem and that calling someone a racist is bullying them. Wants you to watch your language b/c calling people white isn’t nice.
Nice guy who wishes everyone could just get along. Thinks racism is a sin problem and not a skin problem and that calling someone a racist is bullying them. Wants you to watch your language b/c calling people white isn’t nice.
THOR
The guy who doesn’t think they can be racist because they didn’t grow up in the US. Knows a lot of black people but only dates and chills with white people. Has a black best friend so he’s not racist.
The guy who doesn’t think they can be racist because they didn’t grow up in the US. Knows a lot of black people but only dates and chills with white people. Has a black best friend so he’s not racist.
BLACK WIDOW
Says that she’s not racist, but hangs out with racists. Cracks white people jokes when she’s with her black friends. Dating a low-key white supremacist and uses the n-word when she’s with him.
Says that she’s not racist, but hangs out with racists. Cracks white people jokes when she’s with her black friends. Dating a low-key white supremacist and uses the n-word when she’s with him.
HAWKEYE
Cool dude. Super chill. Seems to get along with everybody. Likes to flirt with black women. Secretly super racist.
Cool dude. Super chill. Seems to get along with everybody. Likes to flirt with black women. Secretly super racist.
HULK
Brooding intellectual type. Voted for Bernie Sanders. Politically progressive. Gets super mad when you call them a racist.
Brooding intellectual type. Voted for Bernie Sanders. Politically progressive. Gets super mad when you call them a racist.
WAR MACHINE
Everybody’s black best friend. People always tell him, “I forget you’re black.” Believes in respectability politics. Probably married to a white woman.
Everybody’s black best friend. People always tell him, “I forget you’re black.” Believes in respectability politics. Probably married to a white woman.
FALCON
The “other black guy” in white spaces. Constantly gets mistaken for the original black guy. Competes with the original black guy for best friend status. Married to a black woman and probably went to an HBCU. Ignores racist comments and vents to his wife later.
The “other black guy” in white spaces. Constantly gets mistaken for the original black guy. Competes with the original black guy for best friend status. Married to a black woman and probably went to an HBCU. Ignores racist comments and vents to his wife later.
VISION
“Doesn’t see color.” Talking about race makes them super uncomfortable so they interject a bunch of non-sequiturs to ease the tension. Has black relatives or adopted a “colored” child so they can’t be racist.
“Doesn’t see color.” Talking about race makes them super uncomfortable so they interject a bunch of non-sequiturs to ease the tension. Has black relatives or adopted a “colored” child so they can’t be racist.
DR. STRANGE
White person who has “spent time abroad” in a country with black and brown people. Cultural appropriatior, but gets defensive when you call them out. They’ve been the minority before and experienced discrimination. Totally not racist.
White person who has “spent time abroad” in a country with black and brown people. Cultural appropriatior, but gets defensive when you call them out. They’ve been the minority before and experienced discrimination. Totally not racist.
WINTER SOLDIER
Grew up in a super racist family and used to be super racist until he actually spent time with black people. Now he’s 100% anti-racist and will call out white supremaciat nonsense. Low-key hates white people even though he’s white.
Grew up in a super racist family and used to be super racist until he actually spent time with black people. Now he’s 100% anti-racist and will call out white supremaciat nonsense. Low-key hates white people even though he’s white.
BLACK PANTHER
No one seems to know much about him. Keeps to himself. Blackity black but is super low-key because he’s not tryna have white folks messing up his money. Has exactly one white friend and merely tolerates the rest of y’all so he can collect his paper.
No one seems to know much about him. Keeps to himself. Blackity black but is super low-key because he’s not tryna have white folks messing up his money. Has exactly one white friend and merely tolerates the rest of y’all so he can collect his paper.
OKOYE
Activist. Holds everybody down, especially black women. Doesn’t hate white people, but also doesn’t associate with them.
Activist. Holds everybody down, especially black women. Doesn’t hate white people, but also doesn’t associate with them.
ANT MAN
Is friends almost exclusively with black and brown people, but is still Crest Noticeably White. Dates black women, but will probably marry white. Doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. Tells racist jokes and gets offended when people don’t laugh.
Is friends almost exclusively with black and brown people, but is still Crest Noticeably White. Dates black women, but will probably marry white. Doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. Tells racist jokes and gets offended when people don’t laugh.
VALKYRIE
Has to work/exist in white spaces, but carries her blackness with her. Is brutally honest about race. Has zero time for white nonsense. Showers every morning in white tears. Married to a white man. White women treat her like she’s Oprah, which she doesn’t understand.
Has to work/exist in white spaces, but carries her blackness with her. Is brutally honest about race. Has zero time for white nonsense. Showers every morning in white tears. Married to a white man. White women treat her like she’s Oprah, which she doesn’t understand.
CAPTAIN MARVEL
White woman who was super ignorant about race until she adopted black kids. Thinks of herself as “woke,” but doesn’t like that word. Will call the manager if she catches you being racist. Cries when she’s called out and then cries about crying white wiman tears.
White woman who was super ignorant about race until she adopted black kids. Thinks of herself as “woke,” but doesn’t like that word. Will call the manager if she catches you being racist. Cries when she’s called out and then cries about crying white wiman tears.
MAR-VELL
Old white progressive woman. Was feminist before feminism was cool. Was anti-racist before anti-racism was cool. Was super progressive back in the day but hasn’t continued doing the work so she’s kinda problematic now. Gets mad if you call her out.
Old white progressive woman. Was feminist before feminism was cool. Was anti-racist before anti-racism was cool. Was super progressive back in the day but hasn’t continued doing the work so she’s kinda problematic now. Gets mad if you call her out.
NICK FURY
Old black dude who lived through Segregation, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights. Gets annoyed when people call him militant, but also knows how to leverage white people’s perceptions of him to get stuff done. He used to hate “honkies,” but thinks they’re “alright” now.
Old black dude who lived through Segregation, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights. Gets annoyed when people call him militant, but also knows how to leverage white people’s perceptions of him to get stuff done. He used to hate “honkies,” but thinks they’re “alright” now.
THANOS
Racist-racist. White people know he’s racist, but make excuses for him b/c he’s a community leader and a deacon at his church. They don’t challenge him because he “has some good points.” Sees himself as a truth-teller and not a racist. Probs has an illegitimate black kid.
Racist-racist. White people know he’s racist, but make excuses for him b/c he’s a community leader and a deacon at his church. They don’t challenge him because he “has some good points.” Sees himself as a truth-teller and not a racist. Probs has an illegitimate black kid.
There are a lot of characters in the MCU so this is a non-comprehensive list. Hopefully you caught the humor...and picked up that only one “white” person on this list “sees” themselves as racist in any shape or form, even though they’re all racist.
I hope that in the black characters, you see the stock categories and the way that we have to navigate whiteness in them. My commentary on the black characters was intentionally shallow...because I “created” these characters through the lens of whiteness.
I also want to say that my commentary on the black characters in relation to one another and in relation to who they’re married (or not married) to was also intentional. Our relative “safety” to white people is often based on our relationships.
Also notice that the black characters are defined in relation to their proximity to whiteness. There are layers upon layers to analyze this thread.
Please don’t come at me with how “problematic” this thread is...especially in terms of the representation of black characters...that’s exactly the entire point. Also don’t come at me w/ my exclusion of non-black POC; it’s problematic and that’s exactly the point
The whole point is that race relations are seen on a black white binary and that BBIPOC’s entire existence as a bloc is entirely defined by the construct of whiteness; discussing/defining race automatically comes from a white lens. B/c “coloredness” couldn’t exist w/out whiteness
That’s the end of this thread. I hope you enjoyed the show and that you learned something #ontoday.
The Avengers will return...
The Avengers will return...
Guess now is as good of time as any to mention that I have a podcast that is available on iTunes, Google, and Spotify. Subscribe to Combing the Roots w/ Ally Henny. I’m in the Top 100 in my category in iTunes. apple.co/2UJBVmd
And here’s my performative allyship self-test:
Also my White Fragility self-test:
Also my White Fragility self-test:
