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soc_puppet) wrote2012-01-29 01:42 am
soc_puppet) wrote2012-01-29 01:42 am
Entry tags:
Discussion: Marginalized Super Heroes
[CONTENT NOTE: Discussion of all sorts of -isms and marginalizations]
Immediately after my previous post, I started wondering to myself: What sort of unique problems might a superhero of color face? After coming up with a few, I started asking myself about other marginalized groups: LGBTQIA folks, women, PWD, and people in lower income brackets were the ones that came to my mind, though that's far from a comprehensive list, I'm sure. After a little bit more thought, I started wondering what answers other people might be able to come up with, what insights they - YOU, really - could share: How many things am I missing due to my own privilege and having been raised in a kyriarchy?
In the hopes of inviting respectful discussion and observation, I decided to open a post on the subject. I hope this will generate more thought on the topic, on how intersecting identities, secret or not, will affect their life experiences in and out of costume, and ultimately that it will inspire more people to incorporate these issues directly into superhero-related media. In that light, I'd like to invite you to link this around, since the more exposure it gets, the more discussion and thinking it's likely to generate.
Note that while being respectful is required, being polite is not; I won't be here all the time, but I'll do my best to shut down any trolls as I become aware of them (knock on wood). Meta issues are welcome, but please preface them with the word "meta" in brackets and all caps like so: [META]. Thanks in advance for your cooperation, less than three!
I'll get us started here:
All superheroes of marginalized identities:
* Increased risk of violence and apathy from pretty much all quarters
* Increased risk of death
* Increased suspicion from potential rescues
* Decreased likelihood of being taken seriously
* Job-related issues compounded
* [META] Increased risk of cancellation
Superheroes of color:
* Increased risk of police violence/apathy, possibly compounded by perceived ethnicity
* Increased risk of being misidentified as a villain
Superheroes with disabilities:
* Lack of accessibility to resources and teams (let's face it, how many superhero meeting spots would be ADA approved?)
* Lack of accessibility to people they want to rescue
* Increased blame when resources/accessibility/spoons are unavailable
* Increased risk of dismissal of actual abilities
LGBTQIA superheroes:
* Possible third "secret identity"
* Increased risk of identity erasure by media
* Increased risk of violence/identity erasure from presumed allies
* Potential romance problems compounded (someone write me the one about the superhero-friendly gay bar/mixer)
Female superheroes:
* Increased risk of violence from presumed allies
* Increased risk of sexual violence from pretty much all quarters
* Increased risk of dismissal of actual abilities
* [META] Increased risk of ridiculous costumes
* [META] Increased risk of being fridged
Superheroes from a lower income bracket:
* Decreased access to resources
* Job-related issues heavily compounded
* Possible decreased availability to actually fight crime
How about you? Is there anything you'd like to add or discuss in more depth? If so, the comments are wide open to anonymous and OpenID alike.
Edit: Sorry about disappearing like that; ADHD ate me in the worst way. By which I mean it decided that I should spend two weeks reading every good-sounding fic for $PAIRING in $FANDOM that I could get my grubby little fangirl paws on and ignore pretty much everything else, including posts that I had ostensibly set up to generate discussion, sigh. I can't say it won't happen again, but at least it was only two weeks this time?
Anyway, I plan to actually start replying to comments sometime later today, possibly with a side of updating this post to add stuff, so uh, be ready for that, I guess.
Immediately after my previous post, I started wondering to myself: What sort of unique problems might a superhero of color face? After coming up with a few, I started asking myself about other marginalized groups: LGBTQIA folks, women, PWD, and people in lower income brackets were the ones that came to my mind, though that's far from a comprehensive list, I'm sure. After a little bit more thought, I started wondering what answers other people might be able to come up with, what insights they - YOU, really - could share: How many things am I missing due to my own privilege and having been raised in a kyriarchy?
In the hopes of inviting respectful discussion and observation, I decided to open a post on the subject. I hope this will generate more thought on the topic, on how intersecting identities, secret or not, will affect their life experiences in and out of costume, and ultimately that it will inspire more people to incorporate these issues directly into superhero-related media. In that light, I'd like to invite you to link this around, since the more exposure it gets, the more discussion and thinking it's likely to generate.
Note that while being respectful is required, being polite is not; I won't be here all the time, but I'll do my best to shut down any trolls as I become aware of them (knock on wood). Meta issues are welcome, but please preface them with the word "meta" in brackets and all caps like so: [META]. Thanks in advance for your cooperation, less than three!
I'll get us started here:
All superheroes of marginalized identities:
* Increased risk of violence and apathy from pretty much all quarters
* Increased risk of death
* Increased suspicion from potential rescues
* Decreased likelihood of being taken seriously
* Job-related issues compounded
* [META] Increased risk of cancellation
Superheroes of color:
* Increased risk of police violence/apathy, possibly compounded by perceived ethnicity
* Increased risk of being misidentified as a villain
Superheroes with disabilities:
* Lack of accessibility to resources and teams (let's face it, how many superhero meeting spots would be ADA approved?)
* Lack of accessibility to people they want to rescue
* Increased blame when resources/accessibility/spoons are unavailable
* Increased risk of dismissal of actual abilities
LGBTQIA superheroes:
* Possible third "secret identity"
* Increased risk of identity erasure by media
* Increased risk of violence/identity erasure from presumed allies
* Potential romance problems compounded (someone write me the one about the superhero-friendly gay bar/mixer)
Female superheroes:
* Increased risk of violence from presumed allies
* Increased risk of sexual violence from pretty much all quarters
* Increased risk of dismissal of actual abilities
* [META] Increased risk of ridiculous costumes
* [META] Increased risk of being fridged
Superheroes from a lower income bracket:
* Decreased access to resources
* Job-related issues heavily compounded
* Possible decreased availability to actually fight crime
How about you? Is there anything you'd like to add or discuss in more depth? If so, the comments are wide open to anonymous and OpenID alike.
Edit: Sorry about disappearing like that; ADHD ate me in the worst way. By which I mean it decided that I should spend two weeks reading every good-sounding fic for $PAIRING in $FANDOM that I could get my grubby little fangirl paws on and ignore pretty much everything else, including posts that I had ostensibly set up to generate discussion, sigh. I can't say it won't happen again, but at least it was only two weeks this time?
Anyway, I plan to actually start replying to comments sometime later today, possibly with a side of updating this post to add stuff, so uh, be ready for that, I guess.