How much has the X-Men as a reflection of real life minorities changed overtime?

[Hypestyle]

Krakoa needs to be way more black and brown. that much for damned sure. The conceit of just accepting all of these 80% caucasian mutants as 'minority allegory' is played out to an obscene level.

[Lucyinthesky]

Krakoa needs to be way more black and brown. that much for damned sure. The conceit of just accepting all of these 80% caucasian mutants as 'minority allegory' is played out to an obscene level.

Agree completely we need a new all new all different X-men with the spirit of the international team of Storm, Colossus, Sunfire, Nighcrawler etc but they need to have stories and origins of their own besides being a mutant.

[Zelena]

Krakoa needs to be way more black and brown. that much for damned sure. The conceit of just accepting all of these 80% caucasian mutants as 'minority allegory' is played out to an obscene level.

Is it a 'minority allegory', though?
At the beginning, it's just a story from the head of a man (or several). And it has found its audience, people buy it.

For me, the fact that it has so few 'black and brown' people is the proof that it's a 'reactionary comic', memory of a time when all super-heroes were white, without the authors having to justify themselves.

'Minority people' aren't just people who are members of minorities, they work, they have troubles adjusting in this world that is not made for them, they have hopes… and they die. So I don't think Hickman's run is about minorities, it's just a story, like it or not.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Is it a 'minority allegory', though?
At the beginning, it's just a story from the head of a man (or several). And it has found its audience, people buy it.

For me, the fact that it has so few 'black and brown' people is the proof that it's a 'reactionary comic', memory of a time when all super-heroes were white, without the authors having to justify themselves.

'Minority people' aren't just people who are members of minorities, they work, they have troubles adjusting in this world that is not made for them, they have hopes… and they die. So I don't think Hickman's run is about minorities, it's just a story, like it or not.

The elephant in the room is that mutants are the majority on Krakoa, and since they're human they still retain flaws of their human roots. For example, white people, and men, still wield the most power.

[BroHomo]

The elephant in the room is that mutants are the majority on Krakoa, and since they're human they still retain flaws of their human roots. For example, white people, and men, still wield the most power.

i mean moira is still HMIC

[Alpha]

I've read some papers about the X-men as a disability metaphor.

https://dsq-sds.org/article/view/862/1037

https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstrea...102/319145.pdf

Personally, Id also look to a "transgender" metaphor. For example, gender dysphoria is not innate to being trans, but many do struggle with it. Somepeople thus see being trans as a disease itself, others see being dysphoric as a fundamental part of being trans (truscum), however being trans is not a mental illness as accepted right now, though gender dysphoria is.

Thus, there are many mutants who've had issues because of their powers, but at the same time it need not be the default, but a disorder unique to the otherwise normal mutants.

Thank you for your response. I've read a bit about how the metaphor for disabilities is already in place and while I do find some value in that I was advocating for mutants to become a direct representation of disabilties.

As far as your proposal of the transgender experiences being used as the grounds for mutants, I think I should backtrack and explain why I don't think that works.

Historically mutants have been a metaphor used for the struggle of minorities that couldn't be directly adressed in comics of the time. Thus the metaphor has changed gradually in accordance with what minority couldn't at the time be represented truthfully. Most of these issues came down to Civil Rights. The clear denial of fundamental rights based on a single aspect of a person's constitution. In the real world civil rights have been gradually expanded to the point where for the most part the type of issues each minority faces aren't about laws that directly target them but instead about repeated infractions by members of the legal institutions or other individuals. Black Lives Matter for exemple isn't about any laws that exist, it's about violations of those laws and informal targeting of a community. The only clear exception of this is probably south american immigrants. Those that oppose them do so on two legal fronts. First ilegal immigration. Some just oppose the ways in which individuals come into the United States regardless of the reasons. Second, some oppose them being allowed to immigrate regardless of how they do that because they have preconceived notions of what they bring to the table and think those give them less merit and less relevance. Mutants aren't a good metaphor for these issues because they arent' immigrants. They can be born at any time in any place.

Transgender issues also have legal questions to them but they are mostly about proper representation in society i believe, aside from military service. You might ask why the level of discrimination determines if mutants can be used as a metaphor or not and I'd like to answer. General protection rights can in a way be represented by vague allegories because they rely on only one thing, acceptance that while others might be different from me they are still just as human as me. But this fundamental principal isn't enough when it comes to various social issues. Police targetting of african americans isn't about them having a different skin color that could be replaced with blue. After all, Indians, Middle easterns, and southeast asians also have clear facial features that distinguish them from caucasians. Police targetting is because there is a preconceived notion that there is a higher chance of an African Americna being prone to violent crime. There is a discussion about the statistical difference in how they are treated in court, and George Floyd might prove that some cops do punish them differently for different crimes, but history, culture, and the specific skin color are clearly necessary things to adress when debating this issue. Nightcrawler might be targetted for his skin color, but it's not the same thing as being a black character, specially since he could at the same time be middle eastern or indian. These issues are so specific that representation becomes crucial. Only Jessica Jones can talk about how women are victims of abuse. Only Kamala khan can talk about the muslim experience in the US. Only Luke Cage can talk about african american struggles and only storm can talk about the african immigrant struggle. Plus at this level the best way to counter discrimination becomes having people feel more comfortable with these individuals and that is the other side of why representation becomes necessary. Maybe Mystique could represent a transgender character, but doesn't the fact that she goes back and forth kind of ruin the metaphor? Plus her process of physical transformation is so simple even though part of the transgender struggle is the cost of the procedure.

The reason why I say that disabled people are a good source for representation is that this classification refers to countless different struggles (that are as varied as the number of super powers the x-men have) but they can still be united under one banner. Plus the fact that they can be born to anyone in any place. Now, I'm not saying Angel can represent a deaf person's experince, I'm saying that a mutant that is born deaf because of the x-gene but gains super powers through it might have some value. This is a person that would still have issues in every day life but could also do amazing things both to help others and harm them. Plus the school becomes much more of a logical place with this factor since there is a reason why mutants would have to go to a school to train them for the outside world and it makes sense why adults would still return there a lot.

[The tall man]

i mean moira is still HMIC

Not really, I think Xavier and Magneto wields more power than Moira. She just provides information to them but they do all the heavy lifting. But in truth Krakoa exists because of the efforts of all three, they are the true trinity of the x-universe.

[BroHomo]

Krakoa needs to be way more black and brown. that much for damned sure. The conceit of just accepting all of these 80% caucasian mutants as 'minority allegory' is played out to an obscene level.

lol sooo this

[Devaishwarya]

Krakoa needs to be way more black and brown. that much for damned sure. The conceit of just accepting all of these 80% caucasian mutants as 'minority allegory' is played out to an obscene level.

Probably.
But...
The only "conceit" there is, exists in the minds of those who can ONLY see themselves in people who look like them and refuse to understand that underneath the skin we all are the same. We all are one. That is to say, the ratios don't need to be "50% White:50% Coloured" or "25% White:75% Coloured" for the ideology to have meaning.

That just because we are differently coloured, abled, sexed, doesn't mean we cannot be representational and relatable to each other.
The very notion of visual separation and distinction all for the sake of representation and diversity is why we will continue to look at each other as "Other" and not as "US".

And before some of you jump in to misconstrue what I wrote, twisting it to suit your own view...check yourselves. (Nowhere, do I state that representation and diversity and visual presence, don't matter.)

[skyvolt2000]

That very notion that visual separation and distinction all for the sake of representation and diversity is why we will continue to look at each other as "Other" and not as "US".

If I was to look at the mutants as whole-I would suspect only white folks become mutants. The few of color become freaks or monsters. The few who are not seem to be the ones that storm troopers can actually hit.

And considering places like Flint Michigan and other places where chemicals and testing could produce plenty of mutants of colors-they don't.

And to bring in real world-what incentive would a black male mutant have in going to Krakoa? He's staying put to protect his community or going to Wakanda.

[Zelena]

Not really, I think Xavier and Magneto wields more power than Moira. She just provides information to them but they do all the heavy lifting. But in truth Krakoa exists because of the efforts of all three, they are the true trinity of the x-universe.

Maybe, if she throws a tantrum, she can commit suicide. Or threatening to do it. And everything would have to start again.
Other than that, what can she do?
In her place, I would be afraid to be put beneath a glass dome. Or in a golden prison.

[Zelena]

If I was to look at the mutants as whole-I would suspect only white folks become mutants. The few of color become freaks or monsters. The few who are not seem to be the ones that storm troopers can actually hit.

They are all mutants, the monsters like the rest…

But I have the impression that the 'monsters' are not very represented in this Krakoan society. I saw them chanting 'Krakoa' but not one is in this Quiet Council but maybe I'm wrong.

And to bring in real world-what incentive would a black male mutant have in going to Krakoa? He's staying put to protect his community or going to Wakanda.

You tend to stay where are the people you love, where you can work and be a respected member of the society. You don't go into exile for the fun.

If you feel you don't have the choice…

[Havok83]

If I was to look at the mutants as whole-I would suspect only white folks become mutants. The few of color become freaks or monsters. The few who are not seem to be the ones that storm troopers can actually hit.

And considering places like Flint Michigan and other places where chemicals and testing could produce plenty of mutants of colors-they don't.

And to bring in real world-what incentive would a black male mutant have in going to Krakoa? He's staying put to protect his community or going to Wakanda.

Unless he is from Wakanda, he goes to Krakoa

[The tall man]

Probably.
But...
The only "conceit" there is, exists in the minds of those who can ONLY see themselves in people who look like them and refuse to understand that underneath the skin we all are the same. We all are one. That is to say, the ratios don't need to be "50% White:50% Coloured" or "25% White:75% Coloured" for the ideology to have meaning.

That just because we are differently coloured, abled, sexed, doesn't mean we cannot be representational and relatable to each other.
That very notion that visual separation and distinction all for the sake of representation and diversity is why we will continue to look at each other as "Other" and not as "US".

And before some of you jump in to misconstrue what I wrote, twisting it to suit your own view...check yourselves. (Nowhere, do I state that representation and diversity and visual presence, doesn't matter.)

So is a young black man suppose to look at someone like Emma or Kitty and identify or relate to them. See themselves and the struggles they endure on a daily basis as being represented in Emma and Kitty. This is where the metaphor falls apart, why are black people being told to identify with white mutants when you have characters like Sam Wilson, Luke Cage and Blue Marvel? Basically it comes down to what you put more value on, your black identity and heritage or your mutant genes. Does a black man leave his family and community to go join a bunch of mostly white strangers on Krakoa solely on the basis of having the same genetic makeup. Maybe some would but I suspect the majority would not.

[Devaishwarya]

Unless he is from Wakanda, he goes to Krakoa

Exactatiously.

To "bring in real world"
How many Black communities have turned their backs on their own Gay, Black brothers and sisters?

Mutants will go to Krakoa because the community in which he/she was born and grew up. lived decided that they didn't want any mutants living among them.

Claremont's ANAD X-Men and New Mutants categorically shows that not only White people become mutants.