Thread Drift: Mutant "Blackness"

[Anthony Shaw]

It was explained more than once (with scans from other posters) that as a Brazilian, Sunspot cannot be simply classified as only black.

You do know that Brazil has the largest population of black people that's larger than the blacks in North America right?

http://en.mercopress.com/2009/04/25/...rity-in-brazil

And I mean black as in "has African descent".

There are Brazilian people who identify with black. There are some that do not. there are some that identify with the terms used ("pardo" and "preto"). But Sunspot did identify as such and it's weird that his skin has been lightened over the years and all types of changes happen with him. Having a non Afro or non Brazilian period actor play him in the X-Movies is just off to me. Especially when his origin story actually deals with racism because of Sunspot having black descent.

My point was that one simply can't say Sunspot is only black.

I do agree that it is sad that his appearance changes so much. I also find it sad regarding the his casting in the live action film. But I stopped paying attention to the films after X2.

I totally agree with your posts regarding the dead mutant males of color.

[Anthony Shaw]

Brown skin? The image states "brown skin."

She's a filipina. Yehey!

[Anthony Shaw]

Even before this, Storm's features were directly mentioned in the comic. During the first appearance of Kitty Pryde, Kitty says something like "How come you don't look like the normal black kids at my school? Your hair, your weird eyes..." And Storm says something like "I'm one of a kind"

I don't think that this was an attempt to negate Storm's blackness as much as it's acknowledging Dave Cockrum's cat lady design for Ororo and suggest that it's part of her mutation. I mean, most fans and creators think of Storm as a black woman.

Until I came across that image, I always attributed her appearance to her mutation, not unlike Charles going bald at an early age (not to mention he weird eyebrows).

Since that image....

[Anthony Shaw]

This is a really silly thread, wow.

Like a embarrassing, cringe-worthy scene, it is difficult to turn away.

[Goddess]

My point was that one simply can't say Sunspot is only black.

I do agree that it is sad that his appearance changes so much. I also find it sad regarding the his casting in the live action film. But I stopped paying attention to the films after X2.

I totally agree with your posts regarding the dead mutant males of color.

You can say the same thing about most black people in America (or people people who are in their locations/regions specifically because slavery brought their ancestors there). I am also Brazilian and I am black.

Also, as noted, Brazil has the largest population of black people in South America; about 52% of the pop in Brazil classify themselves as either black or a black mix.

[Paleo_Rage]

Yep, no person is of a pure "race" one way or another due to migration!! Because of slavery in the Americans most African Americans have some Native American and White ( English, Irish, Scottish etc) ancestry. And stating that Sunspot is black does not negate that fact that he could have other heritage its merely buttressing his obvious phenotype and the historical narrative of the black disapora in Brazil due again to slavery!!!

[Gray Lensman]

Yep, no person is of a pure "race" one way or another due to migration!! Because of slavery in the Americans most African Americans have some Native American and White ( English, Irish, Scottish etc) ancestry. And stating that Sunspot is black does not negate that fact that he could have other heritage its merely buttressing his obvious phenotype and the historical narrative of the black disapora in Brazil due again to slavery!!!

I always laugh when I hear anyone in the U.S. talk about 'racial purity.' Unless you just immigrated, chances are almost certain you don't have it.

[Tracer Bullet]

Yep, no person is of a pure "race" one way or another due to migration!! Because of slavery in the Americans most African Americans have some Native American and White ( English, Irish, Scottish etc) ancestry. And stating that Sunspot is black does not negate that fact that he could have other heritage its merely buttressing his obvious phenotype and the historical narrative of the black disapora in Brazil due again to slavery!!!

It still is a kind of erasure though, because it's using The One Drop Rule which is a US concept. His phenotype is a bit more ambiguous when filtered through a non US cultural lens, where many Blacks in US would not be considered Black in other countries because of skin tone, hair texture and nose shape.

[ZNOP]

It still is a kind of erasure though, because it's using The One Drop Rule which is a US concept. His phenotype is a bit more ambiguous when filtered through a non US cultural lens, where many Blacks in US would not be considered Black in other countries because of skin tone, hair texture and nose shape.

And, therein lies the rub... Simply put, if you had to describe to law officials (anywhere on the planet - language isn't a barrier) a person of interest (I.e., a suspect) that you saw fleeing the scene of a crime but, all you could tell them for sure was his/her height, approximate weight, and skin color, what would you say?

[idiyona]

I always laugh when I hear anyone in the U.S. talk about 'racial purity.' Unless you just immigrated, chances are almost certain you don't have it.

Even if they immigrated or didn't immigrate people of all types have been traveling everywhere for thousands of years. The chances of anyone being "racially pure" is incredibly low. Just like when people make new dog breeds after generations of interbreeding someone looked at a certain bunch of traits and decided "yep that's a pure" and ignored all the interbreeding it came from.

[Gray Lensman]

Even if they immigrated or didn't immigrate people of all types have been traveling everywhere for thousands of years. The chances of anyone being "racially pure" is incredibly low. Just like when people make new dog breeds after generations of interbreeding someone looked at a certain bunch of traits and decided "yep that's a pure" and ignored all the interbreeding it came from.

True, but in the US we don't even have that illusion. I am English, French, a lot of Dutch, German, and some Cherokee (I have an ancestor who was listed as Mulatto on the census, which in those days merely meant 'part not-white) and that's just on my father's side. I haven't seen my mother since I was about three, so I have no idea about her (and am told she was adopted anyways, making the trail even harder to figure out). We are all mongrels here.

[ed2962]

Until I came across that image, I always attributed her appearance to her mutation, not unlike Charles going bald at an early age (not to mention he weird eyebrows).

Since that image....

I think there's probably more weight to the idea that there seems to be a reluctance to deal racial or ethnic issues directly using Storm. She's a black woman living in America and she's been raised in Africa, there's all kinds stories that can grow from that, but I can only think of a small handful of the top of my head that were in the main X-title. It's sorta touched on in her solo

[BroHomo]

My point was that one simply can't say Sunspot is only black.

But to totally deny his blackness, which I think the movie, and comics are doing is fucking stupid. My grandfather was FOB Irish, my grandmother was straight cree, with some African ancestry, My dad identifies as white. as do my half brothers, I on the other hand couldnt. i am not only black, but to flat out ignore it is not something I would ever do.
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[Rosa Snarks]

http://www.comicvine.com/ashake/4005-42895/

Until I came across that image, I always attributed her appearance to her mutation, not unlike Charles going bald at an early age (not to mention he weird eyebrows).

Since that image....

Nah. The white hair/blue eyes is because her family from her mother's side is able to weild magic. I think Kitty mistook her ancestor Ashake for Storm (she was a powerful sorceress) at one point.

2707845-uncanny_x_men_annual_1__2006__48.jpg

2707859-ororo_01_015.jpg

1620628-mysticmagik001_int_8a.jpg


Oshtur, the source of their power appears as a white haired woman sometimes also.

[Rosa Snarks]

http://www.comicvine.com/ashake/4005-42895/




Nah. The white hair/blue eyes is because her family from her mother's side is able to weild magic. I think Kitty mistook her ancestor Ashake for Storm (she was a powerful sorceress) at one point.

2707845-uncanny_x_men_annual_1__2006__48.jpg

2707859-ororo_01_015.jpg

1620628-mysticmagik001_int_8a.jpg

1620785-1053628_new_mutants_032__large__18a.jpg


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