How do we feel about this?

[Vegan Daddy]

Did Claremont sometimes go too far with the mutant minority metaphor? There'd be a shitstorm if Kitty said something like this in Guggenheim's X-Men Gold.



Was that an appropriate response? I feel like Claremont expected the reader to think "Oh wow, Kitty is so right!", but she just sounds like a toxic brat to me. The mutant minority conceit is too hamfisted to be taken as a serious parallel to actual minority struggles.

[dragonmp93]

Well, given Muslim are having to deal with these days.

And only has been 100 days of the new presidency.

[Jokerz79]

There would be a **** storm today if that happened but I think Claremont was trying to just emphasis what Mutie meant in the Marvel Universe to Mutants and how offensive it was and gave a real world comparison. This wouldn't be the last time they'd do this during Civil War I believe at the time due to decimation when human operated sentinels were sent to the school to help the mutants who were seen as endangered and their was legitimate fears a hate group would attempt to attack the school and thus nearly wipe out mutants. Wolverine used the comparison of sentinels to burning crosses to Luke Cage to explain why he hated them being there even for protection.

[Dum Dum Dugan]

It looked like Claremont had Kitty acknowledge using the n-word like that was wrong when he had her reference the incident from God Loves Man Kills in his X-Men: The End series.

"I fired back, without even thinking, because she's black, the cruelest, most racist word I could think of."

[Wiccan]

That was a question, she said that to show it feels to be called a "mutie". She's exactly pointing out how wrong it is to do that.

[Ambaryerno]

Is it a bit extreme? Yes. Is it likely to be misconstrued in this era of paper-thin skins? Probably.

But that's probably why it works.

[Supernature]

"Mutie" being the mutant equivalent of a racial slur was quite clear before this happened.

This was just for (cheap) shock value.

[Jokerz79]

"Mutie" being the mutant equivalent of a racial slur was quite clear before this happened.

This was just for (cheap) shock value.

There's different levels to racial slurs some some people can walk away from they think keep walking and leave this small minded racist behind. While others are so personal so offensive you can't and that's what I think Claremont wanted he wanted to show the level of offense there is to term of Mutie in the Marvel universe.

[Vegan Daddy]

Is it a bit extreme? Yes. Is it likely to be misconstrued in this era of paper-thin skins? Probably.

But that's probably why it works.

To be clear, it's not that I find it offensive. I just think it's kind of......dumb. Like when people try to make child fiction edgy and 'adult'. You're trying too hard.

[Supernature]

There's different levels to racial slurs some some people can walk away from they think keep walking and leave this small minded racist behind. While others are so personal so offensive you can't and that's what I think Claremont wanted he wanted to show the level of offense there is to term of Mutie in the Marvel universe.

Nah.
In the context of the page he's clearly pointing at the nature of the words (words like that i.e. slurs) and intent (trying to be intentionally hurtful). She used that word in particular because she's responding to a black man.
It would have been clear with or without using a real life slur.

It was just for shock.

To be clear, it's not that I find it offensive. I just think it's kind of......dumb. Like when people try to make child fiction edgy and 'adult'. You're trying too hard.

Pretty much.

[Bl00dwerK]

Not too far at all. Claremont used the n-word to get the point across, to the reader as well as to the other character, that a mutant being called "mutie" is the same thing to them as being called the n-word is to a black person.

[Kal-El Summers]

Her stooping to his level to try and prove a point isn't really a good look, especially with the other instance of her dropping the n-bomb.