The name "Karate Kid" stopped making sense when they said Val has mastered almost all forms of martial arts from many worlds. He should have a name that reflects that. Like ... "Ass-kicker Boy"
The name "Karate Kid" stopped making sense when they said Val has mastered almost all forms of martial arts from many worlds. He should have a name that reflects that. Like ... "Ass-kicker Boy"
First Dawny, and now KK, Tyroc wasn't in this was he?
Edit: Chinese, Japanese, most Asian cultures really, have a nasty history of being lumped together. Karate Kid, a guy who derives his name from a Japanese Martial art, wearing a stylized Gi, with a Chinese haircut, is contributing to that. Throwing in Dawny's redesign on top of that, it's starting to look a little tone deaf. If the Legion were as big as the X-Men right now, people would be heated.
Last edited by Overhazard; 11-12-2019 at 03:58 PM.
So, just to be clear, are you making the assertion that being Asian is now a pre-requisite for anyone to be a master martial artist? Or, at the very least, are you saying Asian people are more predisposed to being martial arts masters than people of other backgrounds? I mean, think about that for a second.
If so, that’s a very problematic assumption to be making. A person’s background doesn’t make them any more or less likely to engage in any specific behaviors. That’s pretty much like saying that since I’m an Arab, I must looooove riding camels.
If it’s an aspect of Asian representation (or lack thereof) that makes you believe that this it’s somehow necessary to make Val look like a stereotype, um, DC actually has a lot of Asian characters that don’t rely on overly racist tropes to identify them as Asian. Lady Shiva, Cassandra Cain, Kimiyo Hoshi Doctor Light, Cheshire, Grace Choi, August General in Iron, etc. all instantly come to mind.
Plus, as Jackalope kindly pointed out, karate is a martial art developed in JAPAN (or actually, it was developed in the Rykyu Kingdom in what is now called Okinawa), whereas the ponytail that Val is now rocking was something common among CHINESE men...in the 1800s. So, on top of everything, it also conflates Chinese and Japanese/Okinawan culture as if they’re the same thing. So, yeah...
No, it appears as a stereotype because it is. It’s that simple.TRUTH!!! the"new" Karate Kid Only may only appear to be a stereotype if a person's mindset is already thinking about it going into the story
Last edited by Green Goblin of Sector 2814; 11-12-2019 at 04:07 PM.
No. No it is not. Karate is a distinct style. Like Muay Thai, Savate, Jiu-Jitsu, Tae-Kwon-Do, and the other numerous styles. It branches into various schools, yes. But all have a similar base in being Karate.
Martial Arts is an umbrella term for "Martial Arts". Even Krav Maga would be a closer fit, since it utilizes various aspects of numerous styles into it.
It is one thing to make him look more asian, but to then make him look like such a blatent sterotype of the classic "chinaman" is just baffling. They go out of their way to "represent" by racebending some characters and then to just be so lazy with the like of Karate Kid and Dawnstar makes them look like they really only cared about making some characters black, and not to actually give good representaions of other races. This is all on Sook who looks like he needs to do a little research on other cultures and not just look at old movies.
The real problem with that hairstyle is that it used to be mandated by the emperor or you'd be faced with execution. (and it was done by the ...1930's?) From what I understand, it was a sign of an oppressive time that really makes no sense unless Bendis has a specific reason for having KK wear his hair like that. Maybe Val just saw old "karate" movies and had no idea what the hairstyle meant. (like how some people will wear a Che shirt or X hat with no idea what they mean)
This statement is so incredibly tone-deaf.
1) Karate is not an umbrella term for all different kinds of martial arts. It just isn't. And treating it as such is, well, rather offensive.
2) Him being a Chinese person who learned karate is just as likely as him being a white American who learned karate. Again, nobody's behaviors or patterns are predetermined by their ethnic heritage. Believing that is the textbook definition of prejudice.
In fairness to his statement, in the 1970’s when martial arts really started taking off in Europe and the USA, almost all martial arts were either called in the media karate or Kung Fu regardless of which particular form they were.
People were only aware of Bruce Lee doing karate or David Carradine’s character doing Kung Fu, hence it became a kind of generic name.
If the Karate Kid character had been called something like the Kendo Kid, people would have been saying WTF is that lol.
This holds for the '60s as well, when Karate Kid was created. I don't know if DC ever considered changing it even when it stopped being so trendy. Maybe they thought the alliteration made it memorable. Maybe they couldn't think of anything better. Maybe they thought LSH fans would get ticked off if they tried.
Anyway, here's something that backs up what you're saying:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate
Going back to the 60’s, you had the Dick Tracy cartoon with the character ju jutsu, and I think almost everyone who would have watched it would have thought that was a normal name for a person and he was doing karate.
People back then had never heard of these things before, it’s very easy for people today to look back and be offended by it all, but the worlds a lot smaller today and people are better educated on subjects.
Uh that movie came out 35 years ago. Since then it's become a lil tactless to slap on cultural attributes to someone not traditionally of that culture. So seeing white dude performing Martial Arts going by Karate Kid is eyerollingly bad.. There's numerous examples of Asian culture presented in with a white face. Audiences are obviously used to. It'd be a welcome change that for once East Asian culture not get whitewashed
How is keeping the character white any better? These guys are from a thousand years into the Future Right? Maybe there's a wave of Pan East Asian Nationalism and their cultures have become more blended. Orrr maybe he's of mixed heritage and wants to rep all facet's of his background?
And how is Dawnstars redesign tone deaf? How is her old costume less Native American than her new one? At least she has pants and is not just in a stripper-esque bathing suit lol actually her redesign is more appropriate as turquoise was an important part of the characters ethnic history
uh no dude.
im not saying it's because of his ethnicity but where he grew up. If it's in East Asia...yeah he's more likely to be exposed to Martial Arts than someone who grew up in Wales
GrindrStone(D)
Double post
Last edited by BroHomo; 11-13-2019 at 06:48 AM.
GrindrStone(D)
How's can he be a stereotype when there's next to nothing to Know about this characters history? You're assuming hell be a stereotype, cause I guess minorites can't be associated with ANYTHING that might be cultural exclusive to them or they'll be seen as stereotypes??? + There's like one Asian male hero ...the shrinking guy the next one appears a thousand years later #winning
Again him being a 'stereotype' is your opinion... We have no backstory on this char right? So whose to say he's rocking that style cause he wants to or are you saying Japanese people CANT have a ponytail and rock a gi??
It could be he's of mixed East Asian ancestry and wants to rep all facet's of his background. Its still an upgrade from having yet another hijacking of East Asian sensibilities.
X? X-Men?
Is it really that tone deaf?
1.) lol okay I honestly don't know much about Karate. So my bad for mixing up 'Martial Arts' with 'Karate' But it is a broad term for MA in Japan. Apparently The Karate Kid character who is a master of all Martial Arts has been offending you since the jump :/
2.) Again I'm not saying an Asian person is more likely to know Martial Arts cause they're Asian but because of where they live. Just like it's more likely a person in Hawaii learning how to surf than a person in Alaska. Quick look and I found 3.2 million Americans participate in Martial Arts while Martial Art participation is somewhere around 100 million worldwide. Soooo i figure theres a slightly higher chance of a person of ANY ethnicity to learn Martial Arts if they grew up in East Asia
Last edited by BroHomo; 11-13-2019 at 01:08 AM. Reason: Kiiiiinda stonD my bad if I'm not catching any grammar subtleties
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