The X-men metaphor: is it changing?

[Factor]

I came across this article about X-men: First Class and it think it highlighted a lot of my thoughts about the topic of the mutant metaphor.

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/201...es-on-a-curve/

Do you guys think the metaphor is becoming less about race and civil rights movement and more about gay rights?
It's something that became more apparent to me during Fraction's run. The scene where Pixie and her friend get attacked when leaving a club is to me a big parallel to homophobic acts.

pixiexmenempath2.jpg

What do you guys think? Can anybody remember more recent connections?

[coveredinbees]

Gay rights are civil rights. The X-Men cover all outsiders. It always had gay connections. Mutant powers manifest at puberty, for example.

For a more direct example try Generation Hope #9: It doesn't get better.

[Factor]

Gay rights are civil rights. The X-Men cover all outsiders. It always had gay connections. Mutant powers manifest at puberty, for example.

For a more direct example try Generation Hope #9: It doesn't get better.

Yes, I agree. I just think sometimes the connection to a more specific cause gets highlighted, like in that scene with Pixie and her friend.
Thanks, I'll give it a check

[ZNOP]

"The civil rights movement was about stopping – or at least decreasing - the oppression of a people based on an immutable trait, i.e. their skin color. This is not a challenge to whether one is born gay or not, but one cannot deny that one is born black. And it is this color that caused others, including those in power, to demean, discriminate, abuse, dehumanize and oppress them. Notwithstanding ineffective skin-lightening creams, there is no way to turn off, disguise or otherwise hide the fact that one is black.

On the other hand, being gay is not something you can necessarily detect from just looking at a person. Of course there are the more flamboyant homosexuals, but for the most part they do not carry themselves that way. In other words, there is no DADT for blacks."

[DDD]

It's about discrimination, plain and simple, it's not rocket science to understand.

[coveredinbees]

"The civil rights movement was about stopping – or at least decreasing - the oppression of a people based on an immutable trait, i.e. their skin color. This is not a challenge to whether one is born gay or not, but one cannot deny that one is born black. And it is this color that caused others, including those in power, to demean, discriminate, abuse, dehumanize and oppress them. Notwithstanding ineffective skin-lightening creams, there is no way to turn off, disguise or otherwise hide the fact that one is black.

On the other hand, being gay is not something you can necessarily detect from just looking at a person. Of course there are the more flamboyant homosexuals, but for the most part they do not carry themselves that way. In other words, there is no DADT for blacks."

That's just more discrimination and it's damaging and embarrassing to any movement working toward equality.

[IdaqiBeauty]

It's an environmentalism metaphor. About the damaged freak children we're having in an age of nuclear energy and toxic waste.

[Lady Warp Spasm]

I always took the X-Men metaphor as a nod to the outcasts and misfits. I could see a little bit of the Civil Rights movement in the very early material, but anyone who feels and/or is treated like an outcast can identify with the X-Men.

It's open to interpretation.

[Synthetic Innocence]

The xmen metaphor is and has always been about HUMAN rights.

It's about equality.

No matter what one looks like ( their race, gender, physical abilities/disabilities) or internal factors (sexuality, mental illness, political views, and any number of other things) equality is applicable.

It's about the struggle all humans face (whatever the reason) to fit in, find their place in the world and be aloud the same rights as everyone else.

[Factor]

It's about discrimination, plain and simple, it's not rocket science to understand.

As a broad theme it is, but as you pointed out, that's pretty obvious, The point of this thread is to discuss which aspects and types of discrimination are being more represented in current comics and why/how. I'm sorry if I wasn't very clear before

[IdaqiBeauty]

It was originally a metaphor about environmental rights. It was an outgrowth of all those old B monster movies about pollution and mutants.

[Phoenix Egg]

There is no metaphor any more. The X-Men don't represent anything because the people in charge of story direction don't have much interest in that aspect of the franchise's history.

X-Men is basically about a group of generic, unorganized would-be superheroes that never get around to doing heroic things because they are too busy fighting each other or fighting the Avengers. And Marvel truly thinks they are more compelling this way.

[Factor]

There is no metaphor any more. The X-Men don't represent anything because the people in charge of story direction don't have much interest in that aspect of the franchise's history.

X-Men is basically about a group of generic, unorganized would-be superheroes that never get around to doing heroic things because they are too busy fighting each other or fighting the Avengers. And Marvel truly thinks they are more compelling this way.

Yeah. I have to agree. I can't remember the metaphor being adressed in most of the current runs. Which is why the most recent example I could think of was during Fraction's run.

[ZNOP]

There is no metaphor any more. The X-Men don't represent anything because the people in charge of story direction don't have much interest in that aspect of the franchise's history.

X-Men is basically about a group of generic, unorganized would-be superheroes that never get around to doing heroic things because they are too busy fighting each other or fighting the Avengers. And Marvel truly thinks they are more compelling this way.

[Anduinel]

Yeah. I have to agree. I can't remember the metaphor being adressed in most of the current runs. Which is why the most recent example I could think of was during Fraction's run.

And then you have writers like Remender and Aaron who explicitly reject it. Honestly, that doesn't sit well with me. The mutants as stand ins for real world marginalized groups is an imperfect metaphor to be sure, but it's been the backbone of the franchise since Claremont's 80's run. A writer setting that aside just because makes it feel a bit like they wish they were working with another property.