UNCANNY X-MEN #200: Pro-mutant humans?

[starwolf_oakley]

We rarely see pro-mutant humans in the X-books, but while many people hate and fear mutants, some are willing to go the protest-and-sign route to *support* mutants.
Here's an older example of the X-men getting some support in France during Magneto's trial.





How often do humans say "Hey, all mutants aren't bad! Give them a break!" in the X-books? And for better reasons than "Mutants are cool because they are a persecuted minority." When that happens, it just makes it look like only poseurs like the X-Men. (Kind of like real-life comic fans. ZING!)

Kitty Pryde's rotten eyesight was mentioned sometimes in Claremont books, but not often. There was even something about her phasing power making contact lenses difficult.

The whole "protecting a world that hates and fears you" has probably "gotten" to the X-Men at various times. This might be the only time it "gets" to Kitty.

Comments

[bardbrain]

I suspect it parallels what you tend to see in public opinion polls.

Virtually any dumb idea backed by money or useful to politicians is supported strongly by 25% or so of the population. You'd probably see this even if it's something like executing the poor or the U.S. invading Canada, IF you had a few billionaires running campaigns to back it.

Around 25% of the population oppose any such stupid idea.

And around 50% adopt the less helpful stance of, "Yeah. The idea is kind of dumb but I'm not going to get involved and I'll support any position that's a balance of the extremes. Tattoos and registration? Okay. If that keeps the 25% of crazies happy. Fine. That's a compromise. I don't hate them. But I don't want the craziest of the 25% of lunatics bombing schools so let's give them something."

It seems to me like that's true of just about anything.

You can find 25% of Louisiana residents who think Obama caused Katrina, 25% of the population who support billion dollar RIAA lawsuits against individuals, 25% of people who favor outlawing divorce, 25% who would legalize murder, etc.

It's not always the same 25% of the population necessarily. But 1 in 4 people will support ANYTHING that monied interests support. And, for me, that accounts for the mutant hatred at Marvel.

The question then becomes why a disproportionate number of the very wealthiest people oppose mutants. It's probably a class issue. The X-gene is probably very democratically distributed and threatens social class structures. (Whereas gamma irradiation or super-soldier serums or cosmic ray research all provide avenues that, once researched, can be packaged and supplied to the mega-rich, maintaining an advantage for their children.)

Or maybe it's actually rarer among the super-rich. I've got ideas on why that would be.

Anything over half of the 1% support and launch PR campaigns around, though, 25% of the lower classes can be brought on board with.

If I wrote X-Men, my focus would be on class as I think that's the next frontier for the book to really cover, perhaps along with gender.