Professor Black Truth is going super hard in this episode, discussing Black Panther pushing negative agendas. I’ll be the first to say that often when I share things I do not always fully agree with everything. I never agree with everything anyone says, and that’s the case here as well. Afterall, I’ve already expressed that I feel Black Panther is the Dopest Marvel Character they have. My reasoning of course, isn’t going to hold up to much scrutiny when I look at the bigger picture. Even if he’s one of the most inspiring marvel characters for black people, he is still an ‘idea’ from the mind of white men.
There is plenty to say about the topic, of how Marvel has historically approached race through it’s comics.
From the creation of black panther in the early 60’s, to characters like Luke Cage who came during the 70’s and Blaxploitation. There have always been black heroes in the comic book universe. However it wasn’t until recently that black writers began entering that space. This is where storylines like Blue Marvel come into play, as this is a relatively ‘new’ Marvel character. However it’s black writer, Kevin Grevioux, decided to give him a backstory that places his timeline right along side all the greats, like Captain America and other mainstream Marvel characters.
We’ll have to go into that conversation another time.
For now, a few thoughts on ‘why’ Marvel is pushing Black Panther ‘now’, when they’ve never truly put ‘too much’ into their black IP’s before.
What do you think of the points Professor Black Truth is sharing?
Is Black Panther pushing negative agendas (like usual) that harm black people?
Do enough black people even read comics to be impacted by any of this, and will the film (a bigger medium) be used to push storylines that were not part of the original concept? Also, while I never really saw a problem with the all female CIA bodyguards – I will admit that I can see where that sends the wrong message.
You have a King, who’s intelligent witty agile and able to fight anyone. But, he’s protected by women who are more masculine than feminine.
Yea, that does line up with ‘old racist narratives’ and even, racist agendas to supplant the male power figure in the black home with the woman. I do see how some of those themes are now being used to push feminist agendas. These agendas historically cause more harm to black families (people) than whites, because feminism isn’t really for black women!
It’s just another thing to keep us from tackling white supremacy.
I’m also in full agreement that only certain black people are chosen within this society, and allowed to speak. Within this system spokespeople serve important roles for those in power. This often leaves us having to pick and choose what benefits us, and what does not – even when it comes from ‘one of our own’. We have to continually be mindful & filter what is presented to us.
While I am looking forward to the movie debuting in 2018, I already had expectations of ‘some’ Hollywood interference. I mean, when do they not right? However I’m still willing to at least acknowledge that Marvel takes more steps than others, to create conversations that don’t always limit black people to playing the villains.
None of that means that black people should NOT attempt to tell their own stories. If anything this is more evidence that we need to.
A black owned comic book company that takes the time to create real stories and hire talented writers, would do very well with a black audience. Instead of allowing other people to continue pushing negative agendas, black people can and should take control of their images. If you know of any good black owned comic book companies, feel free to drop them in the comments below.
- Watch Grace Randolph (Beyond The trailer) Review Black Panther
- SoPoCo.net Explors Black Entertainment: Blackish is Better than Empire (5 reasons why)