Poll: Which is more racist?

[Blindswordmaster]

In recent years I've created a pantheon of superheroes and a universe for them to dwell in, but Movie Bob's latest video has brought me to a realization: I don't have any black superheroes. Which now brings up this question: Which is worse, having black characters written by a white guy, or having no black characters?

 

[Giest4life]

None of the poll options are inherently racists. Sorry, can't answer that one.

 

[Souplex]

No black characters can depend on the setting.
If it takes place in Feudal Japan a black character would be very out of place unless time travel was involved.

 

[Wayneguard]

Is this a serious topic or are you trying to racemonger?

 

[nukethetuna]

I'd probably go with black characters written on white paper. Obviously, they stick out like a sore thumb, and are surrounded by the empty white space. I'd imagine the white space doesn't really like having them forced in. It also doesn't help that the black characters are kept separate from each other, segregated into tiny areas and...

Oh COMIC characters. I don't really see the racism in any of it.

 

[emeraldrafael]

What do you mean you dont have black characters? thats not really racist, just means you dont like any on the same level (which isnt necessarily bad, depending on who you're comparing to).

I dont think either is necessary racist. UNless you're specifically looking at black characters and saying no cause they're black. And its probably more racist (or at least cause more of a problem) if you told people they could only stick to characters of their race.

 

[The Grim Ace]

If the movie takes place in modern America than no black characters could be racist. Then again same thing applies to every other race except for white. If it takes place in other countries or times than it might not matter. If a white person writes a black person in a way that isn't racist then it isn't racist. Maybe you want to rephrase the questions? Since it's otherwise kind of impossible to agree with either point.

 

[Jodah]

Are you doing it intentionally or subconsciously? If you made the heroes and said to yourself "Nope, he can't be a hero because hes black" then yeah its racist. If you made the heroes then realized "Oh shit, they are all white" then its not really racist.

 

[Flight]

I think not having people of color is more racist than writing people of color when one is not of the same race, as long as they're written as people, not just "Insert Racial Stereotype Here".

 

[Sentox6]

I had to vote for the first option.

Imo, there's nothing wrong with a white author writing a black character. However, there's still more potential for a negative result than having no black characters at all, so I consider that the safer (and therefore 'better') option.

Anyway, it's your own damn fiction. As long as you're not producing actual hate speech, write whatever the hell you want to write.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I see no reason skin color would matter when creating a superhero.

It would potentially effect their background and personality. It definitely would matter. When creating a character, every detail should matter.

Now, to answer the question, often times a black character written by a white person will end up WAY more racist then a simple lack of black characters.

I mean, come on- no black people live on my street. Doesn't mean it's a racist neighborhood.

 

[crudus]

I don't see why black characters written by a white guy would be racist. Most screenplays, books, games etc are written by no more than 3 people. What are the odds one of them would black? The other one would depend on the setting and what the movie(for sake of argument) is about. If the movie is set in America circa 1300 then no black characters would make sense. If it was set in Africa then no black characters would make little sense and might be racist. If it is set on Qo'noS and there were no black characters it would be racist.

 

[Bires]

I read the options and I thought...Shakespeare.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Without context, neither poll options are racist.

Quoted for agreement.

 

[ZeroMachine]

I see no reason skin color would matter when creating a superhero.

It would potentially effect their background and personality. It definitely would matter. When creating a character, every detail should matter.

No, it doesn't. A white person growing up in the same environment will turn out exactly the same. Vice versa also applies.


As in, doesn't bloody matter. The only thing it affects is how much black ink they need to print each page.

Right... so you're saying that if two people, one white and one black, are raised in the same exact environment, they will be the same. Sure... I'll definitely give you that.

But do you think that, in a realistic fictional world, they'll be treated exactly the same? The world doesn't work that way. It doesn't need to be that realistic, but if you want a really believable world, a black character may be treated different in certain situations then a white character. It's not racist to write situation like that. In fact, it can sometimes be damn good writing. Again, it doesn't have to be that way (and in many shows/comics/movies/games it doesn't) but in many cases that does matter.

Also, what if a different environment is important? One based on the fact that they're, again just for example, black. Maybe they dealt with heavy racism as a child and rose over it. Maybe they were taught about certain cultural traditions that ended up effecting certain things they do later on in life.

 

[Raddra]

The token black man.

If you're going to put black characters in a movie, don't make him the token black man. Put black characters in the movie. As is, more than one. And no, the token black woman that is attracted to the token black man doesn't count.

 

[Kakashi on crack]

Does it really matter? If the characters are realistic to the story, then it shouldn't matter what color their skin is.