Minorities in Comics and Other Media, etc

[batnbreakfast]

Dune 2 and Hollywood's commodification of Muslimness by Nadeine Asbali.

In an adaptation of a Sci-Fi novel from 1965 you get a diverse cast and yet journalists still find a way to complain.

[Overhazard]

Middle Eastern actors might be a start, I'd guess?

Then, too ... I know I've been bothered in stories/franchises like Altered Carbon, where you can even have some kind of story analogy at work about racism/classism/discrimination, yet studiously avoid ever addressing or even hinting at race as a topic or a problem. HBO's Westworld is another that does that. The way Martin somehow envisioned a world with a great deal of diversity, only still everybody is white, is another time it unfortunately took actually seeing it for lots of people to go, "Hey, wait a minute..."

And my X-Men.

So, I guess saying -- maybe, not only including Middle Eastern actors, but maybe including somehow futuristic Muslim people and bias against them? At least portraying it in some aspect, as opposed to just completely taking the aesthetic, while ignoring the real world people altogether?

I don't know, not saying this is "the solution", just that I have some thoughts, so I can't be the only one.

The X-Men, in universe and their fanbase, pride themselves on diversity, and being very open minded and accepting towards minorities, women and LGBT+ people, and they are...unless you're a non-white male. The fanbase is indifferent if not downright hostile towards non-white males. I'm genuinely surprised that Synch is back, and they haven't killed him for shock value or corrupted him. If I were a mutant I feel like I'd be better off on my own or joining the Avengers, they probably have dental.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

so what is the solution here in a movie such as this?

Out of curiousity.

On a micro level, getting more middle eastern talent involved would've been good. I mean writers, directors, actors, producers etc.

From a pragmatic standpoint there are local film industries they could've partnered up with to offset costs.

But Dune is product of it's era and a complete work. Unlike DC and Marvel, it's harder to mess around with it.

I'd say just invest in new stories but Hollywood is reliant on franchises now. Nearly of them started decades ago so there isn't a clean 5 step process.

Middle Eastern actors might be a start, I'd guess?

Then, too ... I know I've been bothered in stories/franchises like Altered Carbon, where you can even have some kind of story analogy at work about racism/classism/discrimination, yet studiously avoid ever addressing or even hinting at race as a topic or a problem. HBO's Westworld is another that does that. The way Martin somehow envisioned a world with a great deal of diversity, only still everybody is white, is another time it unfortunately took actually seeing it for lots of people to go, "Hey, wait a minute..."

And my X-Men.

So, I guess saying -- maybe, not only including Middle Eastern actors, but maybe including somehow futuristic Muslim people and bias against them? At least portraying it in some aspect, as opposed to just completely taking the aesthetic, while ignoring the real world people altogether?

I don't know, not saying this is "the solution", just that I have some thoughts, so I can't be the only one.

If we didn't think about it, we wouldn't have this thread

[80sbaby]

Remember what I said about Trump sneakers:

https://www.tmz.com/2024/02/27/fat-j...ver-surrender/



I know Fat Joe isn't black, but don't be surprised to see some silly clowns come out to talk about getting Trump sneakers.

I.mean, I can totally understand a sneaker head/collector getting them. They're definitely collectible and can be resold for a nice profit.

[Moon Ronin]

In an adaptation of a Sci-Fi novel from 1965 you get a diverse cast and yet journalists still find a way to complain.

A novel set 20,000 years in the future about using religion as a means of manipulation and control of the population, among other things. Dune uses Islam, Judaism, and Christian (Zen Buddhism added later when his son took over) about the messianic convulsions which periodically inflict themselves on human societies and the disaster that fallows. The article is actually ironic saying that a story about the pit falls of all religions should should be uplifting to one religion.

[MindofShadow]

In an adaptation of a Sci-Fi novel from 1965 you get a diverse cast and yet journalists still find a way to complain.

... this was my initial reaction but I wanted to see what others thought.

The Fremen in the movie are various poc nationalities. I guess you could have definitely put a ME actor in there but they could have actively avoided that due to the fact the Fremen are fighting for their homeland like terrorists and are gonna be used in a Jihad of sorts lol.

I think they casted the actor for Paul because he looks rationally ambiguous of sorts. aka trying to avoid the white savior thing.

And hell.. the bad guys are all cast as evil white dudes (at least the first one, I haven't checked ont eh casting of the second movie tbh) so, idk man. This seems like just whining to me. This isn't the movie to plant a flag and complain about I don't think.

[Moon Ronin]

... this was my initial reaction but I wanted to see what others thought.

The Fremen in the movie are various poc nationalities. I guess you could have definitely put a ME actor in there but they could have actively avoided that due to the fact the Fremen are fighting for their homeland like terrorists and are gonna be used in a Jihad of sorts lol.

I think they casted the actor for Paul because he looks rationally ambiguous of sorts. aka trying to avoid the white savior thing.

And hell.. the bad guys are all cast as evil white dudes (at least the first one, I haven't checked ont eh casting of the second movie tbh) so, idk man. This seems like just whining to me. This isn't the movie to plant a flag and complain about I don't think.

The Fremen are religious fanatics that wage a war across the universe in the name of their prophet, casting them as Arabic could be seen as problematic.

[Lord Morph]

... this was my initial reaction but I wanted to see what others thought.

The Fremen in the movie are various poc nationalities. I guess you could have definitely put a ME actor in there but they could have actively avoided that due to the fact the Fremen are fighting for their homeland like terrorists and are gonna be used in a Jihad of sorts lol.

I think they casted the actor for Paul because he looks rationally ambiguous of sorts. aka trying to avoid the white savior thing.

And hell.. the bad guys are all cast as evil white dudes (at least the first one, I haven't checked ont eh casting of the second movie tbh) so, idk man. This seems like just whining to me. This isn't the movie to plant a flag and complain about I don't think.

Don't think Timothy Chalamet looks ambiguous at all imo. He's White American/French. I haven't read the Dune series, but from what I understand Paul is not supposed to be a "good guy".

I've heard some the criticisms and critiques about Dune when it comes to Muslim and MENA representation. My stance is I don't feel like I have a say in matter as I don't fall in either one of those demographics. It's not my place to say whether or not something is offensive to those groups. I know I hate it and can't stand it when White/non-Black people like to tell Black people what's racist and not racist.

[Username taken]

Don't think Timothy Chalamet looks ambiguous at all imo. He's White American/French. I haven't read the Dune series, but from what I understand Paul is not supposed to be a "good guy".

I've heard some the criticisms and critiques about Dune when it comes to Muslim and MENA representation. My stance is I don't feel like I have a say in matter as I don't fall in either one of those demographics. It's not my place to say whether or not something is offensive to those groups. I know I hate it and can't stand it when White/non-Black people like to tell Black people what's racist and not racist.

These are my feelings on this topic as well.

[skyvolt2000]

I'd say just invest in new stories but Hollywood is reliant on franchises now.

Hollywood would love to have new stories.

HOWEVER they don't want to pay for them and deal with some of the conditions that the creators want to have on them.

It's why Tyler Perry started his movies without certain studios.

It's why we got 90210 on Fox instead of Degrassi Junior High. Degrassi's owners were not too keen on the changing of the cast. Cory Tyler would have been the first black lead on 90210 season 4 if they hadn't decided to the keep the original cast and not spin them off into what became Melrose Place.

It's why Static Shock didn't star a white kid named Virgil Hawkins.

It's why you got a Hannah Montana movie pretending to be Jem.

[skyvolt2000]

The X-Men, in universe and their fanbase, pride themselves on diversity, and being very open minded and accepting towards minorities, women and LGBT+ people, and they are...unless you're a non-white male. The fanbase is indifferent if not downright hostile towards non-white males. I'm genuinely surprised that Synch is back, and they haven't killed him for shock value or corrupted him. If I were a mutant I feel like I'd be better off on my own or joining the Avengers, they probably have dental.

Well if they listen to some of the fans who have called Synch everything in the book because he "took" shine from others mainly a certain Southern Lass (who had her own book and minis with her husband)-I would say Synch's days are still numbered.

Heck look at Prodigy. Look at how he is treated since X-Men Academy. Especially since he came out as Bi. Dead X-Men aside from Black Panther 24 by Coates has treated him way better than any other book since 2009.

Where is Chris Muse???

[Overhazard]

Well if they listen to some of the fans who have called Synch everything in the book because he "took" shine from others mainly a certain Southern Lass (who had her own book and minis with her husband)-I would say Synch's days are still numbered.

Heck look at Prodigy. Look at how he is treated since X-Men Academy. Especially since he came out as Bi. Dead X-Men aside from Black Panther 24 by Coates has treated him way better than any other book since 2009.

Where is Chris Muse???

"Why do we have Synch when we have Rogue?" Said the team that collects psychics like pokemon.

[Username taken]

Well if they listen to some of the fans who have called Synch everything in the book because he "took" shine from others mainly a certain Southern Lass (who had her own book and minis with her husband)-I would say Synch's days are still numbered.

Heck look at Prodigy. Look at how he is treated since X-Men Academy. Especially since he came out as Bi. Dead X-Men aside from Black Panther 24 by Coates has treated him way better than any other book since 2009.

Where is Chris Muse???

The X-franchise hasn't done very well with black males.

Spike was created for X-men Evolution because the writer (who was white by the way) noted that a good chunk of their readers were young black men but were underrepresented. The only other black male X-man at the time was Bishop (Synch was in Generation X then).

Not much has actually changed. Yes, there are more black X-male characters but apart from Bishop (who was turned into lunatic for a while) and Synch (who was in limbo for a while), they are criminally underused and still somehow underrepresented. When one zeroes it down to African-American men, there are only a handful. It's interesting to say the least.

[Username taken]

"Why do we have Synch when we have Rogue?" Said the team that collects psychics like pokemon.

Exactly.

It's just ridiculous.

[Username taken]

Wow, this is haunting.

People think that slavery happened so long ago whereas the reality is that some slaves lived well into the 20th century. Without any reparations or compensation.