Is the lack of racial/cultural diversity in mainstream comics a problem? Options

[MasonEasley]

A very interesting article emerged on a blog that I read from time to time. It's entitled; Race + Comics: When is Diversity ‘Contrived’?. Basically it talks about the pretty apparent whitewashing of American comic characters, and the call to create a "black Avengers" team, something that I think is pretty dumb for multiple reasons. The main reason being that there shouldn't be a black Avenger team because something like that just sounds terrible and contrived, and the other reason being that in 2011 America, the main Avenger team shouldn't be so mono-racial that we actually need a black Avenger team.

In 1990 when I started reading X-Men, the roster looked like this;



Now from my understanding, the team isn't nearly as diverse as it was back then. That was 20 years ago, when the US population was a lot less diverse than it is now.

In modern America, White children in the minority in 10 states, and the white majority is expected to become a minority population within the next few decades. The recent film, Fast Five had a bigger opening than Thor at the domestic box office, and the former featured a multiracial cast in the multiracial city of Rio De Janeiro.

My point is; X-Men pulled me in when I was a kid because it mirrored my America. My America 20 years ago was a pretty diverse place. I never ran into any Cajuns, but there were a lot of blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and white people. The America I live in now is even more diverse. I live around Africans, Caribbean people, Hispanics, Italians, East Indians, etc. and I live in Ohio! Yet I pick up a copy of Avengers and this is the team;



If I was a kid, that wouldn't pull me in. Frankly, it doesn't pull me in now.

I don't think we need a black Avenger team. However, I do think we need a few more people of color on the Avengers (and other groups). Especially if that comic is supposed to reflect a world like our own.

This post has been edited by MasonEasley: May 12 2011, 03:02 AM

[ChadStrohl]

This is a tough one to examine. There's so many layers here that it's hard to really get a grasp of the why's and why not's.

Claremont nailed it with his X-Men team back in the day, but he did it well. Nothing should be shoehorned in without some kind of point of reference or it does come off as some kind of placating move that seems more a gimmick than anything.

Honestly, I never gave much consideration that the X-Men (then) had so much cultural diversity. I just loved the characters. I never saw it as an issue of color or culture, though maybe that was just my naive youth shining through.

The second thing has to be the audience and the business side. If my memory serves correct, I read that the initial comics audience was made up primarily of suburban white kids and they were made by (predominantly) Jewish creators. That serves to explain why nearly every comic character reflected the same. It's kind of like asking why they're isn't any more cultural diversity in rap videos. It's all about the perception of the audience and what that culture appears to be. I never got into much of the burgeoning rap scene in the late 80's and early 90's because it wasn't speaking to me. But that's overgeneralizing I know, since the music industry is made up of many genres, wheras comics is not. I use it only as an example. I'm certain there has to be many unique forms of cultural traditions where diversity isn't questioned.

So while I celebrate the need for culture, I don't know if I buy into diversity (as defined by what I think it means today). That sounds terrible I know, but I'll try to explain. I adore culture and knowledge. I accept and make every effort to undrerstand the values of others and how they see the world around them. I do not, however, have to think like other cultures or adapt them to my way of thinking. That is what cultural diversity means to me. Culture and acceptance is a two way street and its a constant idealogical tug of war between acceptance and segregation, because we all struggle with both in nearly every aspect of our lives - that's how clubs and cliques and all that form. Because we celebrate our diversity by finding others who are not diverse. Strange yes, but real.

So, I don't think comics have been "whitewashed". I think they're just as white as they've ever been, because that's the shift to the norm as it stands with the audience in general. The change here must be two sided - and very chicken or egg. There must be creators that can show diversity and an audience that can or will accept it. I think this is a very doable thing as long as it's done with characterization and not plot. When a character acts, the audience is merely watching and learning. When a character is forcing a point, the audience will react much in the same way a teenager reacts to a scolding parent.... shut down.

So the challenge here is to creators to "speak the truth" and let the audience hear that truth. I don't want to cast labels on anything here, but I'll refer to The Samaritan (spotlight on Vic). When I read that I could tell it was very steeped in a culture that was not mine, but that did nothing to sway me for or against the story. It wasn't shoved down my throat nor was I asked to hold it on any higher or lower level than my own existence. It simply was. I was seeing something different and learning something in the process. And while the main character is not the same color as me, I could identify with his values, which is more important than skin color any day.

I'm not even really sure I've said anything important here, and I doubt I've answered the question, so I'll try the short answer...

Yes, it's a problem. No, it's not. Wait... maybe...

Yep. That's my answer.

[MasonEasley]

So while I celebrate the need for culture, I don't know if I buy into diversity (as defined by what I think it means today). That sounds terrible I know, but I'll try to explain. I adore culture and knowledge. I accept and make every effort to undrerstand the values of others and how they see the world around them. I do not, however, have to think like other cultures or adapt them to my way of thinking. That is what cultural diversity means to me. Culture and acceptance is a two way street and its a constant idealogical tug of war between acceptance and segregation, because we all struggle with both in nearly every aspect of our lives - that's how clubs and cliques and all that form. Because we celebrate our diversity by finding others who are not diverse. Strange yes, but real.

So, I don't think comics have been "whitewashed". I think they're just as white as they've ever been, because that's the shift to the norm as it stands with the audience in general. The change here must be two sided - and very chicken or egg. There must be creators that can show diversity and an audience that can or will accept it. I think this is a very doable thing as long as it's done with characterization and not plot. When a character acts, the audience is merely watching and learning. When a character is forcing a point, the audience will react much in the same way a teenager reacts to a scolding parent.... shut down.

Well, I disagree that they're as white as they've ever been. Again, there was lots of racial and cultural diversity in the X-books during the 90s, and a lot of that diversity got stripped away during the previous decade. One interesting thing you said was that the biggest audience for comics is suburban white kids. Interestingly, that's also the biggest audience for rap music, so "browning up" the teams wouldn't turn off the core audience of comics. In fact, it might actually cause the opposite reaction.

In any case, the late, great Dwayne McDuffie said it best;

"Comics themselves aren’t essential. That said, it’s important for fiction to reflect the world we all live in. And while all of us are comfortable identifying with characters of other races, it’s equally important that people to see heroic images of themselves in comics and other media. It creates a powerful sense of validation."