tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post1236034455395280624..comments2024-03-28T03:10:19.013-07:00Comments on Fraggmented: Top Five Characters I'd Like to See in the Marvel Cinematic UniverseJohn Seaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07530526320973807452noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-41372563911634362962023-10-18T05:18:33.580-07:002023-10-18T05:18:33.580-07:00Hi thankss for sharing thisHi thankss for sharing thisVivien Killileahttps://vivienphotos.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-5122918270108775582015-10-08T10:04:30.663-07:002015-10-08T10:04:30.663-07:00I do understand that your heart is in the right pl...I do understand that your heart is in the right place, but I think you are wrong. I think the key to Ms Marvel's popularity is that she's not generic and she's not a stereotype--she's a Pakistani Muslim woman and it's part of her character, but it doesn't make her any less relatable for those of us who are none of the above. G. Willow Wilson is showing that you can make a sympathetic character that we all understand and whose day-to-day struggles are the kind of thing we all go through (questions about relationships, difficulties with well-meaning parents who don't really understand you, et cetera) without making them default to "straight white able-bodied cismale".<br /><br />You're right that if the show's done badly, it could become a stereotype, but that's a reason to do it better, not to avoid doing it at all. The solution is to make sure that the people involved are telling their own stories--Sama Amanat, the book's editor, and G. Willow Wilson, its writer, are both Muslim (Sama is also Pakistani) and are providing a wealth of authenticity that keeps it from degenerating into a stereotype. A TV show would need to do the same. It isn't easy, but it is worth doing.John Seaveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07530526320973807452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-51526110366073101772015-10-06T09:29:10.627-07:002015-10-06T09:29:10.627-07:00I hope I don't in trouble with this. The probl...I hope I don't in trouble with this. The problem with Ms. Marvel isn't her origin. It's that she is a VERY specific character. The genius of Stan Lee (and I think it's Stan as opposed to Jack and Steve) is that his characters are, for lack of a better word, generic.<br /><br />Peter Parker. White bread name. Nothing ethnic about him. But he's very relatable because he's a nerd who has problems nerds of all hues can relate to. In fact, if someone were to say he was a classic Jewish nerd, I'd have no problem with that, but he's not Jewish. His aunt is a yenta who plays the guilt card. But again, not Jewish.<br /><br />Don Blake - lame doctor. Reed Richards - brainiac. Brave, but not specific to place or culture. Even Stan's tough guys - Nick Fury, Ben Grimm - are generic New York tough guys. I guess Nick is supposed to be Italian and Ben Jewish. But other than generic poor guys from the tenements who came up through hard work, nothing Italian or Jewish about them. So they are relatable.<br /><br />Ms. Marvel, on the other hand, is VERY SPECIFIC. She is muslim. We see her ask for advice from her Iman. Nice advice, but when did you ever see Peter Parker go to a rabbi, minister priest? He'd go to Robby. Her brother is, I think, deliberately unemployed. I just know sometime in the future some less-talented hack is going to run with that thread and it will be a disaster.<br /><br />Instead of dad being overprotective, he's a Pakistani muslim who isn't sure about America. Again, that kind of character requires a delicate touch. I am not saying it can't be done, but go on the Mary Sue web site and see the comments pages where even the best intentioned stories get eviscerated for not being diverse or LGBT positive or against women. I am not making this up. I read a review of Brooklyn 9-9. The author complimented the show for its diversity. In the comments, someone wrote that yes it was diverse and from a white priviledged male. Though she had some problems with the lead for being a white male. The show was created by Adam Sandberg for himself. But because the lead was a white, straight male, there was a strike against it, even though the commenter liked it.<br /><br />I am not saying that shows shouldn't be diverse. I am saying that anytime someone who isn't gay or black or female writes a character, they tend to get dragged over the coals. Sometimes that is deserved, but often isn't. It is definately a trap. Doint a TV show is hard, and having to look over your shoulder for the diversity police becomes a huge hassle.<br /><br />Having said that, having casts that reflect reality matters. In the old days, Stan could do Sue Storm, Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, Matt Murdock, Peter Parker, and create characters that people related to. But the country's demographics have changed, I understand that. Have no problem with that. But there is a danger. Make a character Larry Liu and have him refer to his Chinese ancestors and he's a stereotype. Have him be generic with the Larry Liu name and you're blanding (is that a word) the character.<br /><br />It's a danger and I don't know the solution.<br /><br />Or I could be wrong. I hope you understand that my heart is in the right place. Jim Snoreply@blogger.com