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Minorities should stop stealing white superheros!

Started by budsbundy,

107 posts in this topic

Davenport

Davenport

Posted
Posted
I agree

 

I liken it to music. It's hard for a performer to cover a song as well as the original performer, but sometimes it comes off as good or better than the original performance. I was a bigger Nine Inch Nails fan growing up than a Johnny Cash fan, but Cash's version of 'Hurt' exceeded the NIN version because he put his soul into it. If an actor can put their heart and soul in a character, I can ignore physical disparities.

Except film is visual medium. Most probably wouldn't accept film-biographies done the way superheroes films are. The Diana Ross Story staring Justin Timberlake? Angelina Jolie as Mick Jagger? Jackie Chan as Johnny Cash?

 

So I agree with Michelle Rodriguez. It's just lazy storytelling and forced diversity.

 

Some think of fictional heroes as 'mantles' and not characters, where anyone can suit up and be a Batman or a Spider-man or whatever. I get that. To me they're characters.

 

Overall Hollywood's job is to put butts in seats, so I'm fine if my butt isn't included. There's just too much to enjoy in this golden age of superhero film, tv, novels and animation. So, you know, make Zorro as a polynesian princess taking on Captain Cook, fine, and good luck with drawing a crowd.

 

Fair points. I was at a musical performance last night with a discussion occurring afterwards re: artists interpreting the original composers music, so I had that still in my mind this morning when I read this thread - it probably was a bad comparison even if I were half as articulate as the person making the interpreting comment. :boo:

Yours was a good point. (thumbs u I just latched on to it to make the musical legends and fictional heroes comparison. It could've been sports legends (Brad Pitt as Olympian runner Jesse Owens?) or historical legends (Michelle Rodriguez as Patton?).

 

Excellent covers of original songs don't harm the original performance, even if they exceed it. But you wouldn't want to see a cover-performance by someone claiming to be that original artist, no matter how well they did. Right? Same with comic book characters (in my mind) when they're retconned like crazy.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted

I`m putting that out there because my wife says the only time she is reminded about racism/slavery is when middle-aged white people bring up stuff like what do you think of Spider-Man being black or I saw Roots talk.

 

 

 

Maybe because white people in this country are aware that any open and honest discussion of race, including any valid criticism of pandering to a specific group, will usually end with them being called racist, cost them their job, and lead them to a public flogging on the interwebs? Thus the banal questions about a mini-series that aired decades ago?

 

My wife and I talk about this subject. We both know she can talk about such issues in depth much more than I can in public. As you say just talking about this subject can label someone a racist. That`s why I found it interesting that a minority female like Michelle Rodriguez brought it up, than some middle-aged white guy.

 

 

 

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slym2none

slym2none

Posted
Posted
Robert Downy Junior IS Tony Stark...he looks like him and he made that role amazing

 

I have to disagree there. Tony Stark is (or was) physically an a par with Batman - 6'3" to 6'4", 235 pounds. RDJ made Tony Stark into RDJ, like he does with so many of his roles, and like many other characters, Marvel is changing their characters to fit the actors who portrayed them. Wolverine might still be 5'3" but not many artists render him that way, and the claws look and where they exit his hand has been changed to fit the movie look, for the most part.

 

Pardons for the off-topic rant...

 

:blush:

 

 

 

-slym

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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted
The actress has now released a video statement via Facebook to clarify her comments, making it clear that she had no intention to offend, and expressing her desire for Hollywood to stop taking white characters and forcing them to fit another culture. Instead, she would prefer to see characters of another race have their own mythologies built around them.

 

About that whole superhero thing...

 

"What I really meant was that ultimately at the end of the day there is a language. And the language you speak in Hollywood is 'Successful Franchise'. Instead of trying to turn a girl character into a guy, or a white character into a black character or Latin character, stop being lazy. People should make an effort in Hollywood to come up with their own mythology!"

 

I'm impressed!

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Chip Cataldo

Chip Cataldo

Posted
Posted

I don't get this "it's only about the acting" .

 

Can't you find someone who can act AND represents the way the character has appeared for 50, 60, 70+ years?

 

I won't go see a black Spider-Man. Because I'm racist? Nope. Because Peter Parker IS Spider-Man, and he has been a white teenage-type kid for nearly all of his history.

 

I didn't go see Rise Of The Silver Surfer. I have never purchased it on Bluray (or DVD before that). I've never seen it on TV. Why? Because Galactus ain't no damn cloud.

 

I want the characters the way that I know them and the way most people that love them have known them for the majority of their long & glorious history. That's one of the main reasons WHY they have a long & glorious history. Period.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

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slym2none

slym2none

Posted
Posted
I don't get this "it's only about the acting" .

 

Can't you find someone who can act AND represents the way the character has appeared for 50, 60, 70+ years?

 

I've said the same thing a few times in other conversations here, Chip. Mostly talking about Wolverine/Logan, but it certainly applies here.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

-slym

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Darjis_

Darjis_

Posted
Posted

 

I liken it to music. It's hard for a performer to cover a song as well as the original performer, but sometimes it comes off as good or better than the original performance. I was a bigger Nine Inch Nails fan growing up than a Johnny Cash fan, but Cash's version of 'Hurt' exceeded the NIN version because he put his soul into it. If an actor can put their heart and soul in a charcter, I can ignore physical disparities.

 

Yah NIN.

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Bosco685

Bosco685

Posted
Posted
I didn't go see Rise Of The Silver Surfer. I have never purchased it on Bluray (or DVD before that). I've never seen it on TV. Why? Because Galactus ain't no damn cloud.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

IQa2bVz.jpg

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NewWorldOrder

NewWorldOrder

Posted
Posted

So if Marvel/Disney cast the Black Panther as a white guy but can act the role tremendously well is that acceptable to the general audience?

 

Just playing Devil's advocate here......

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Beige

Beige

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Posted

The saddest thing about the whole issue is that every time a white person makes a comment about a non-white person that can be construed as even slightly negative, they feel they have to do a pre-emptive defence.

 

"Disclaimer:

I married to a Spanish dark-skinned woman with a child from her."

 

Comic Connoiseur shouldn't have to justify himself to make a comment, nor should Rodriguez (like Cumberbatch) have to back pedal furiously to avoid the twitternazi trolls.

 

The word racism has been twisted to stifle debate by people with an agenda to do exactly that.

 

There is nothing wrong with discussing wether any character is better served by being played by a particular skin colour.

 

SJ nails Nick Fury. Making Jonny Storm black was tokenistic pandering - the demographic of the group made the switch seem all about minority pandering than anything to do with the actual film role.

 

James Bond can be black. Alba is English - Bond is English. Who cares?

 

But if T'Challa was played by a white actor it would be ridiculous, as the whole racial demographic of Wakanda would have to be changed.

I don't recall many, if any white Wakandan warriors.

 

So, yes, in some roles, ethnicity is irrelevant. In others it is a change, for the sake of pandering to the PC groups.

 

Debating this point then brings the cry of "racist" - which applies, as Rodriguez is finding out,to anyone the PC lobby deems as counter to their indoctrination.

 

And it is actually harming the efforts of people who genuinely fight racism, as the R word is so diluted by it's constant, and often inappropriate use.

Does anyone really think Cumberbatch was being racist?

 

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