A question about racism

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DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color racism?

i.e. I like tangent superman more than regular superman because he's black

or

I like ultimate nick fury more than regular nick fury

TricksterPriest
The proverbial avalanche has started.

To be honest, I was a decent fan of Ben Grimm, the Thing, until I learned he was jewish. Then I started to like him more.

But skin color? Never really been a consideration for me.

and for the love of all things comics, please do not bring up that god damn quote. >_<

psycho gundam
Originally posted by TricksterPriest
The proverbial avalanche has started.

To be honest, I was a decent fan of Ben Grimm, the Thing, until I learned he was jewish. Then I started to like him more.

But skin color? Never really been a consideration for me.

and for the love of all things comics, please do not bring up that god damn quote. >_< the irony. wink

llagrok
Originally posted by TricksterPriest
Can I blame Storm and Black Panther for being black laughing out loud

Reported.

Doctor-Alvis
I'm not sure. I like Sinestro more because he's pink.

DigiMark007
It helps to have something to identify with in a character. Skin color is just one of many ways in which to identify. Most black characters (older ones, at least) have gone through many of the issues that black people in the real world deal with, so it can engender empathy, leading to a possible predominantly black fanbase.

Still, writers don't play up race as much as they once did, so in most publications I feel like it's a non-issue. I'm much more likely to identify with a character's personality traits or nuances of their character than because of, say, what nationality or region they come from.

DestinyGuy678
I mean blade and black panther are two o fmy favorite heroes because the skin color helps me to indentify..like I can understand why blade was in disbelief when he found out he was half white...which is pretty funny actually

Badabing
Originally posted by DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color racism?

i.e. I like tangent superman more than regular superman because he's black

or

I like ultimate nick fury more than regular nick fury No. It may be easier to identify or relate to a character which you share more in common whether it be race, religion, politics, etc. But if a person said I didn't like character X because his skin color is Y then I'd consider that a racist point of view.

Entity
I wouldn't say I like or dislike any character more because of any specific race but I do find characters with different aspects to their character much more intriguing than say your run of the mill leading white male christian heterosexual characters.

For instance, I love Captain America because he's a blonde haired blue eyed freedom fighter against Nazi's who see him as their version of perfection. And I love Northstar because he was one of the very first openly and almost celebrated homosexual characters but even more so because despite this they don't stop form still writing him as just a kickass character regardless of his sexual preference. I loved Patriot because he's almost the exact opposite of Steve and still stands for the same thing against the same people. And I absolutely love Micheal Holt because he's so kick ass and despite meeting the Spectre himself he's still very much an Atheist.

So I don't love characters more or less because of what they are but I do love them more for being different things.

I remember someone once accused me of being racist because I was bitching and moaning about Micheal Duncan Clark playing the kingpin because the kingpin was white. I'd always pictured John Goodman playing Wilson Fisk. Anyway this actually really bothered at first because for a second it actually made me question if it was being racist. But then I realised I'd be just as pissed if a white guy played the part of T'Challa, Blade, Luke Cage or John Steward.

Symmetric Chaos
Originally posted by DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color racism?

i.e. I like tangent superman more than regular superman because he's black

or

I like ultimate nick fury more than regular nick fury

Yes, that's racist. But it it's just because skin color helps you identify that's simply human nature and hardly something to get worked up about.

Eel O'Brian
It is racist, but not really something that can be held against you. It's, like Sym said, basic human nature to like those that you identify with.

Eel O'Brian
Originally posted by Doctor-Alvis
I'm not sure. I like Sinestro more because he's pink. I lol'd.

srankmissingnin
Originally posted by DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color racism?

i.e. I like tangent superman more than regular superman because he's black

or

I like ultimate nick fury more than regular nick fury

Its not exactly racist... you can't exactly fault some for having an easier time relating to characters that have more in common with them.

Me? I couldn't careless about skin colour... but I'm much, much more inclined to read a book based on a Canadian character than one of any other nationality. Its one of the man reasons Marvel gets much more of my money then DC... since apparently Canada doesn't exisit in the DC universe.

~The Wickerman~
Originally posted by DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color racism?

i.e. I like tangent superman more than regular superman because he's black

or

I like ultimate nick fury more than regular nick fury

Yes, that's racist.

Originally posted by Badabing
No. It may be easier to identify or relate to a character which you share more in common whether it be race, religion, politics, etc. But if a person said I didn't like character X because his skin color is Y then I'd consider that a racist point of view.

That's a strange way to look at it IMO. To me saying:

"I like Superman more than Luke Cage because he's white" is about the same as saying "I like Superman more than Luke Cage because he's not black".

Raoul
alot of my favourite characters are white, that's true, but i don't think skin colour was ever a deciding factor... i mean, i always liked jim rhodes more than tony stark, purely because i thought his armour looked more badass...

~The Wickerman~
Originally posted by Raoul
alot of my favourite characters are white, that's true, but i don't think skin colour was ever a deciding factor... i mean, i always liked jim rhodes more than tony stark, purely because i thought his armour looked more badass...

Exactly. And if someone came up to you and said "I like Rhodes more because he's black" wouldn't that scream of racism to you?

Raoul
Originally posted by ~The Wickerman~
Exactly. And if someone came up to you and said "I like Rhodes more because he's black" wouldn't that scream of racism to you?

just a tad.

Phantom Zone
For me its not the deciding factor in itself, it would be combined with other factors such as personality, powers, costume etc.

I would not like a black character specifically and soley on the reason that he was black.

To be quite honest I dont see how thats racism. It would be racism if I actually believed that just by being a black superhero that automatically made him better than white superheroes.

Hell some people prefer to date certain races, is that racism?

DestinyGuy678
why would it be racist racism is defined as: hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.


Its not hating the other comic book characters, when a majority of superheroees are white american though its hard to indentify whih is why they are adding more variety, like the blue beetle becoming hispanic, like having a black superman, and isnt batgirl asian?

Avlon
It's a complicated thing to address simply because it's a complex topic. One thing I've noticed in the tangent Superman comics is that they don't really touch upon Harvey's skin color (after they named the experiment that created him) at least to this point. He's simply referred to as SuperMAN.

Personally, I find that adding racial diversity is refreshing as long as it's not done just to have "token" character of a given race.

Harvey is a great character overall. He's being granted great depth and seems like a powerful character (personality wise in this instance.)

Kyle Rayner, My favorite GL, when it was revealed that he had latin roots, I thought that was great and well done. Particularly since I relate to that character already.

Eradicator. Now this was a funny one. When DC decided to give Eradicator a latin (seeminly Puerto Rican) heritage (family) living in the Bronx, it was so poorly done that it turned me off to the character. It felt forced and wrong and took away from the character.

So basically, diversity is a good thing..as long as it's not simply done for diversity's sake or in poor taste.

To choose a Superman simply because of color..well, that's a bit extreme. Kal started it all and Harvey already has a very interesting history to him. Being a Supes fan, it's great.

There's always the shogun of steel...lol

Darth Vicious
I do take like characters a bit more if they are puerto ricans. For the simple fact that they aint many around (Marvel/DC anyways). Also they usually dont last or simply just disappear. The Santerians (created by Joe Q) were an instant favorite of mine when they debuted in Daredevil: Father. Sadly, the characters havent been used since.

chithappens
I'm black but my favorite comic characters are Jesse from Preacher, Batman and Spiderman - all white guys..

Eel O'Brian
Originally posted by ~The Wickerman~
That's a strange way to look at it IMO. To me saying:

"I like Superman more than Luke Cage because he's white" is about the same as saying "I like Superman more than Luke Cage because he's not black". That's not the same thing at all.

There's a difference between identifying and discriminating, and liking certain characters for NOT being black is the latter.

Mindship
Originally posted by DestinyGuy678
would you consider liking one character more than another mainly because of his skin color...Well, I do like silver...

illadelph12
I don't find it racist at all, and I tend to agree with what Bada, Avlon, and Smurph said. It's just easier to root for someone you can relate to personally, like Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali in boxing or Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in baseball. It's not that you don't appreciate the medium itself for it's own merits, it's just easier to become personally vested in the success of someone you share common ground with, particularly in a medium that has not always been inclusive or provided a respectful depiction of your particular demographic. Comics have come a long way since the old blaxploitation "Sweet Christmas" days, but still have a long way to go, as do we as a global community.

DigiMark007
As a few people have jokingly alluded to, there's so many different alien races, colors, and abnormal characters who defy conventional definitions of race, that black/white is practically a footnote to Human/Skrull/Kree/Rann/Thanagar/etc.

xmarksthespot
I identify most with the Presence, because we have so much in common... not just because of our shared race.

Citizen V
Originally posted by TricksterPriest
The proverbial avalanche has started.

To be honest, I was a decent fan of Ben Grimm, the Thing, until I learned he was jewish. Then I started to like him more.

But skin color? Never really been a consideration for me.

and for the love of all things comics, please do not bring up that god damn quote. >_<

It's not like you asked Illa for Jew porn, or anything.

DestinyGuy678
Originally posted by Mindship
Well, I do like silver... laughing

Avlon
Originally posted by Darth Vicious
I do take like characters a bit more if they are puerto ricans. For the simple fact that they aint many around (Marvel/DC anyways). Also they usually dont last or simply just disappear. The Santerians (created by Joe Q) were an instant favorite of mine when they debuted in Daredevil: Father. Sadly, the characters havent been used since.

Puerto Rican Superheros name Santerians?

No racial stereotype there! roll eyes (sarcastic)

What's next?

Goyaman?

09cAKg24jCo

Oh. mad

xmarksthespot
What's the racial connotation of santerian?

Avlon
I don't know if it's truly racial, but it's definitely stereotypical.

It's like making a black superhero group and calling them Basketarians, or rapperians.

It's basically a form of labeling and IMO detracts from a character.

Darth Vicious
Originally posted by Avlon


Goyaman?

09cAKg24jCo

Oh. mad
Now why couldnt Stan Lee come up with such a great character like that!
laughing That video is funny.

As for Santeros while its true that we have our fair share in P.R, santeria is a "religion" that its practiced all over the Caribbean/South America. Taking it one step further, its origins are african.

Scoobless
Originally posted by TricksterPriest
and for the love of all things comics, please do not bring up that god damn quote. >_<

Which quote?

llagrok
Originally posted by Scoobless
Which quote?

Originally posted by TricksterPriest
Can I blame Storm and Black Panther for being black? laughing out loud

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