Mutant Lives Matter: mutation as allegory

[wano]

Ditto.

I would only like to stand up for Claremont regarding female representation: while X-books were in his care, women were a majority most of the time (at least, from 1984 or so).

I'm pretty sure these last years x books have been predominantly female lead, same for yesterday Uncanny

[Big Joe]

I'm pretty sure these last years x books have been predominantly female lead, same for yesterday Uncanny

That's a good thing though isn't it?

I'm sure I'm more useful to the world when my wife's completely in charge.

[G0RM]

Bill Mahr just made comments on the irrelevance of Stan Lee and comics, in fact claiming that the rise of comic culture comes at the cost of the general intelligence of the public...

I would have said it was exactly the other way around, but diversity in opinion is something else I believe the X-Men represent.

[BroHomo]

Bill Mahr just made comments on the irrelevance of Stan Lee and comics, in fact claiming that the rise of comic culture comes at the cost of the general intelligence of the public...

I would have said it was exactly the other way around, but diversity in opinion is something else I believe the X-Men represent.

Good post.

There is a lot of interesting stuff here !

My two cents:

The mutants were a concept that was originally developed so creators didn't have to come up with origin stories to explain how characters got their powers. I mean some of the major characters did get an origin story, but there is no need to come up with 'freak accident' scenarios to explain how the powers developed. Basing a universe on this concept means creators can introduce new characters without going into the details of an origin story and there is the potential to add characters to the universe and give them interesting powers and just say 'it's a mutation' and not go into details.

As the 60s turn into the 70s, there is more awareness of societal issues, and that starts to be reflected in the stories. There is a message that gets stronger through Xavier's dream and Colossus and Storm joining the team and making it more diverse.

The X-Men as being different and misunderstood is a metaphor that works for any group/person that has ever felt different and excluded. The idea that people actively hate the mutants and want to see them disappear is a metaphor for real-world bigotry. The stories that explore anti-mutant bigotry work as a metaphor for minorities (in terms of race, sexual orientation, religion, etc) to some degree, but the whole 'mutant extinction' story line has been overdone and I think it's lost its subtlety if there ever was one.

I don't think the X-Men are meant to specifically stand for groups that are oppressed, but they're meant to be a fictional world where readers can bring in their own experiences with being different/excluded and see that turned into something positive. The characters and what they go through work as a metaphor of what the personal experience of belonging to a minority is like (or being excluded for another reason, which is why 'geeks' see so much of themselves in the characters).

And it works so well because belonging to a minority is something that subtly shapes your everyday experiences. Media that tackles these issues directly often falls into the stereotypes category and isn't going to reflect these nuances (but thankfully this is changing as there are more diverse voices being heard!)

People have been talking about whether or not a religion like Islam specifically makes you part of an oppressed group. The truth is that if you belong to a group that is prejudiced against, it's rarely for a single reason. A Caucasion person from a western country could convert to Islam and never be 'randomly' selected for a search when boarding a plane. Discrimination doesn't happen because of Islam, it's because it's Islam combined with skin color, a culture, a way of dressing, language, etc. And people have their own unique intersection of characteristics that makes them a potential target for bigots, and that's why you need nuances and diversity when you tell stories about these groups.

There have been attempts to have the X-Men be a metaphor that works at a much broader level (an example that comes to mind was when they mentioned a mutant pride parade fairly recently), but I think having the X-Men stand for an entire group like LGBT people or a racial minority is really clunky. There is representation of minorities at an individual level with the X-Men characters who are LGBT, Black, etc. but as a whole, you can't look at a group of characters where a majority is white males and say they stand for a specific minority just because they have weird powers.

The strength of the X-Men is their message that the world might not be ready to accept differences but that doesn't mean you shouldn't fight for what's right. It's a message everyone benefits from, but there is something comforting and uplifting about seeing these characters live by this motto when you can personally relate to being different (whatever the reason might be), and I think that makes the X-Men an allegory for these feelings/experiences at an individual level.

Great post.

[BroHomo]

Double post.

[Force de Phenix]

I always view mutants as a metaphor for religious minority such as Muslims, Judaism, Buddhist and other religious people alike.

I see mutants as being a metaphor for being gay. Which is ironic because there was backlash for Bobby being gay. I see the inhumans in Attilan as a better metaphor for religious peopoe because they are all born the same, but later go through a process to learn how to fit in their culture and later go though a rite of passage because it's their family tradition i.e. many religions

Mutants change during a period where you want to fit in with everyone else, but end up different which in turn sets your path to adulthood in a different direction. Both species face discrimination for different reason, and both sought to build safe havens/nations because humans didn't like their differences. The former not being welcomed because they are seen as an alien invasion.

If they were an alegory to appreciate diversity and not discriminate a group due to one person's actions (stereotypes), a chunk of their fanbase has failed to see it.

[LordUltimus]

I maintain that we would have been saved a lot of grief while still making the same point if they had just made Bobby bisexual.

[gifted]

I absolutely love your post, Rover. You were spot on.

I believe that the X-Men are so universally loved is that almost anyone can identify with the X-Men. Like Rover said-- having the X-Men be an allegory to one entire group can be clunky because a many members of the X-Men are straight, white men. Anyone who has ever felt different or who has ever felt like the world is against them, can possibly relate to the X-Men.

Scott Summers represents that the good guys do win.
Kurt Wagner represents that no matter what your appearance is, you can have a good heart.
Ororo Munroe represents that Black women can be powerful leaders.
Bobby Drake represents the use of using comic relief as a defense mechanism for insecurities.

Each individual character brings something different that we can relate to, but the X-Men franchise as a whole is representative of anyone who's had trouble fitting in.

[BroHomo]

I maintain that we would have been saved a lot of grief while still making the same point if they had just made Bobby bisexual.

Whose grief?

[LordUltimus]

Mine at least, having to endure dozens of arguments whether it made sense or not.

[Jokerz79]

IMO the X-Men work as a metaphor for whatever minority group you wish to see them as because at the end of the day they're meant to be an allegory to reach kids and help teach them "Hey don't treat people bad because they're different than you" especially if the kids aren't being taught that home.

[G0RM]

I maintain that we would have been saved a lot of grief while still making the same point if they had just made Bobby bisexual.

There was a run of "New Defenders" when Bobby was attracted to 'Cloud', and Bobby freaked out when he discovered Cloud had an alternating male or female body.

It seems to me that the Bobbies are "gay" now mostly because Jeen couldn't conceptualize bi-, so she told young Bobby he was 'gay', rather than discussing more complex gender queer concepts which came later, young Jeen being the product of an older time.

Slowly developing Jean evolved with the times and never brought up the subject, whereas Jeen got her telepathy so quickly, and was exposed to modern culture so rapidly, that she ended up with some simplistic notions, which she passed on to the Bobbies.

(Back in the day, lesbian couples were contantly asked "which of you is the man?", and in some cases, they actually HAD decided which was the man!!!)

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

Well mutant are literally a separate species from humans

They are not. Mystique and Sabertooth had a child that was 100% human. Magneto's first daughter was human too. His grand-daughter Luna was considered human until her terragenesis, and her father was freakin' Quicksilver. Mutants are just humans with a lime twist.

[Ichijinijisanji]

An issue I've always recently with mutants being used as an allegory for racism/sexism is it's similarities to gun control.

The argument made is that by limiting access to high powered guns, and people who've got mental illnesses or are poorly trained, a lot of death/unecessary death can happen

So in mutants case, an inexperienced kid could suddenly end up awakening nuke powers all of a sudden. Basically giving a newbie a bazooka (from the Legion show).

The allegory sort of ends up in this weird area.

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

An issue I've always recently with mutants being used as an allegory for racism/sexism is it's similarities to gun control.

The argument made is that by limiting access to high powered guns, and people who've got mental illnesses or are poorly trained, a lot of death/unecessary death can happen

So in mutants case, an inexperienced kid could suddenly end up awakening nuke powers all of a sudden. Basically giving a newbie a bazooka (from the Legion show).

The allegory sort of ends up in this weird area.

That cartoon, X-men Evolution, used pretty twisted logic in its first episode. In it, Scott Summers has his glasses knocked off during a scuffle and nearly kills an entire stadium filled with innocent people. Professor X then comes along, erases everyone's memories, then admonishes Scott to "be more careful," before cheerfully allowing him to continue on as a student at the school. (Which, to reiterate, he nearly BLEW UP.) As a kid, I thought this was cool. As an adult, I now think that Professor X in that show was an unhinged lunatic. At the very least, he was dangerously irresponsible, with no consideration for the public good. Which is why the mutant metaphor is soooo bad. Because unlike actual racism or homophobia, the bias against superpowered people is completely rational. If mutants were real, you would be the worst parent in the world to let your children attend school with one, and you would not feel secure in the slightest unless your neighborhood was routinely patrolled by a sentinel.