Brightest Day and Racism

[kingrockwell]

Brightest Day #1 is out this week, and while the jokes have already been made about the White Power rings supposedly shipped with it, the book itself displays some very troubling racial politics.

This is about four pages out of thirty.
Writers are Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi.
These scenes are, I think, penciled by Ivan Reis and Patrick Gleason (they don't really credit any of the beats individually).

The second beat picks up off the coast of Somalia, where Deadman's found himself on a boat of slavers herding abducted children. But let's take a look here.


Now isn't that nice? The slavers are all black while every one of their captives is white. What is that supposed to say?
The children are saved by the mighty-whitey team of Aquaman and Mera, as has been posted already, but a scene from the aftermath is also worth examining.


Can you guess who this guy is?


If you hadn't figured it out yet, this guy returns to the ocean to resume his criminal career as Black Manta at the end of the issue. Now, the Aquaman/Black Manta relationship is problematic on its own, but Black Manta's history only makes it moreso (especially given that he doesn't even get a real name). Bringing him back in a book called Brightest Day that already has a mark against it is just...inadvisable.

Also, note the black woman among the victims. So far, if you're black in this comic, you can only be a villain or a victim. And what if you try to be a hero?

Well, dear readers, that's where Jason Rusch comes in.
If you'll recall, in Brightest Day #0, Jason tried punching Ronnie Raymond (who's apparently a complete tool now, thanks Geoff Johns!), only to have the two of them merge into Firestorm.
I don't even have to tell you which one's the floating head.


"Someone like you"? And just what is that supposed to mean, Ronnie?


So, Jason's not only had his role stolen by the white guy who used to have it (which is already a disturbing trend throughout the DCU, especially in Johns' work, as Chris Sims at Comics Alliance has also observed), but now he's trapped in that guy's head? Classy!

Any one of these would be problematic in itself, but all three together in the same issue adds up to a tone deaf and racist mess. A kick-off like this does not bode well for where Brightest Day is going.

Ookay, technically there was one black guy who got to be the hero in BD 1.
...The guy in the Colgate ad. He aced it!

Comments

[thokstar]

Now isn't that nice? The slavers are all black while every one of their captives is white. What is that supposed to say?

That the pirates are black is meant to tie in with the recent Somalian piracy problems. I don't have a problem with that.

But I agree the focus on the children is skeevy, since the pirates are generally interested in ransom, rather than rape.

Black Manta flipping out like that doesn't really work for the character.

[kingrockwell]

There's a difference between making a reference to Somalian piracy problems and having them run a white slavery ring.

[thokstar]

Hence why I had my second line. I'm pointing out that it's the incorrect portrayal of Somalian pirates that makes this racefail, not that the villains are Somalian pirates.

(For what it's worth, I think the gorefail in this issue is more of a problem than the racefail. But the two issues are obviously related.)

[psychopathicus_rex]

Except there's no real proof that it's a WHITE slavery ring, just that that particular group of children happens to be white.

[snugglebitch]

"White slavery" doesn't have to refer to their race (though it deliberately calls that to mind so that it stirs a deeper moral panic in white people). The term is a euphemism for sexual slavery.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Fair enough; I did not know that. I thought the implication in the phrase was that the slavery ring was specifically for enslaving white people.

[valtyr]

"White slavery" was originally a term for enslaving white people, but its meaning shifted, so it is a bit confusing.

[psychopathicus_rex]

So it's actually still in active use as a term? Wow. The last time I heard it used was in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'.

[valtyr]

It's an antiquated term, I guess.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Somewhat, yeah. It's like talking about 'the Red Chinese' - technically, they ARE still the Red Chinese, as China is still nominally communist, but nobody calls them that anymore.

[snugglebitch]

That the pirates are black is meant to tie in with the recent Somalian piracy problems. I don't have a problem with that.

I said it elsewhere; copy-pasting so that hopefully more people get the point:

Somali pirates aren't slavers, and they've very rarely harmed prisoners. They actually tend to treat their hostages very well, because they know it's much more likely they'll avoid police or military intervention and get their ransom money that way.

So, yeah, portraying them in this way is completely off-base, and deserves to be called out. I mean, this scene practically comes right out of Birth of a Nation; it's fucking racist as hell.

[thokstar]

Perhaps you could try reading the second line of my post as well.

Aquaman fighting Somalian pirates=Not obviously racist, since it could be based off of real life
Aquaman fighting misportrayed Somalian pirate=Yeah, there's a problem

The opening post's point would be much stronger if this distinction would be made clear. (And no, this isn't a burden of education fallacy issue, because in this case, the opening post has already taken on the burden of education.)

[jlroberson]

>>Black Manta flipping out like that doesn't really work for the character.

This is true. That's sub-Joker stuff there. Or something Murmur would do. (hmm.) Manta's defining characteristic has always been very careful planning with a good dollop of careful deception, and sadism. I would draw your attention to how he killed Aquaman's son. Perhaps someone has scans?

[bluefall]

Maybe he's been hanging out with Cheetah and Croc. I hear Animal-Trait-Character-Derailment is catching, and he was a fish that one time...

[halialkers]

Except that these guys *aren't* slavers. It's a gratuitous reference to a crime they didn't and don't commit.

[kingrockwell]

They say they're going to sell the children. That makes them slavers.

[halialkers]

Was referring to real-life Somali pirates, not the ones in the comic.

Apologies if that was unclear.....

[kashmirkong]

Not so, they've expanded into human trafficking. http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/839124/-/pwwr7qz/-/