A dilemma regarding Superfriends

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-07-31 12:03pm

Anybody remember back in 1977 when Affirmative Action forced Superfriends to include some non-Caucasoid superheroes?

The results were Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, El Dorado and a samurai who turned into a hurricane every now and then.

Now, if I remember them correctly, every one of them was so stereotypical that they wouldn't have made the cut today.

But to me, this raises the question: If their original task were ordered to make the show somehow less racist by introducing these "ethnic" superheroes, then why the heck did they decide on basing the new superheroes upon ethnic stereotypes?

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-07-31 12:08pm

Mostly because no one cared to actually do anything but slap on color(hell it's why John Stewart was created...the *black* Green Lantern...and no I'm not just talking about his JL placement)

Basically it's to quell the whole "This race/sex/whatever isn't represented!!!" and when it appeases the loudest of them, they feel they did a job well done.

Seriously look Luke Cage(dear god the book is just bad on the Max lineup) or many of the others. The basically follow stereotype 75% of the time and usually create something as bad as if they weren't there at all.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-07-31 12:10pm

"Sweet Christmas!"

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-07-31 12:11pm

DPDarkPrimus wrote:"Sweet Christmas!"

Curse you

The Drunkard Kid · Post by **The Drunkard Kid** » 2003-07-31 12:17pm

Here's a funny Seanbaby.com quote about El Dorado:

He did fine with complex words and phrases, but every time he got to a word that a moron might have learned in their first week of Spanish class, he slipped into his native tongue. It could be that in his extensive lignuistic studies El Dorado forgot to learn our word for "yes," or it could be that his dialogue was written by morons in their first week of Spanish class. Either way, it helped teach children about new cultures and immediately associate those new cultures with the magnificently idiotic. So if two white kids were trying to decide how racist to be, they could watch the Super Friends and say, "less than this."

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-07-31 12:19pm

Not to be politically incorrect, but IMO would have made much more sense if El Dorado was a masked pro-wrestler. (which is what 99% of mexican superheroes are)

The Drunkard Kid · Post by **The Drunkard Kid** » 2003-07-31 12:20pm

Simon H.Johansen wrote:Not to be politically incorrect, but IMO would have made much more sense if El Dorado was a masked pro-wrestler. (which is what 99% of mexican superheroes are)

Yeah. El Toro from Jackie Chan might be a bit stereotypical, but at least he's funny and cool.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-07-31 12:26pm

The Drunkard Kid wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote:Not to be politically incorrect, but IMO would have made much more sense if El Dorado was a masked pro-wrestler. (which is what 99% of mexican superheroes are)
Yeah. El Toro from Jackie Chan might be a bit stereotypical, but at least he's funny and cool.

Jackie Chan Adventures has fun with stereotypes. You can see stereotypes in many of the characters, but they aren't limiting factors.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-07-31 12:57pm

Ghost Rider wrote: Seriously look Luke Cage(dear god the book is just bad on the Max lineup) or many of the others. The basically follow stereotype 75% of the time and usually create something as bad as if they weren't there at all.

I thought his Cage series was okay but in a lot of ways all it did was go from 70's stereotypes to those of the 90's.

What do you think of the more recent Black Panther stuff? I thought they were good but there are some undercurrents that I'm not sure I like. T'Challa always seemed like a real good guy but now they've made him a bit more of a pragmatic ruler of a country. It's not necessarilly bad but I liked him as the really good "Good Guy".

The stuff I remember from his old Jungle Action comics is that the character himself didn't personally fit into stereotypes but some of the stuff surrounding him was stereotypical. The only books I have from that series he's kicking Klan ass through most of the three issues.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-07-31 01:03pm

When I first saw this thread I thought it was going to be about the Superfriends ditching Marvin, Wendy & Wondermutt (or whatever the dog's name was) and adding the Wonder Twins.

I think there was even a spoof comic made of the scene where Marvin and co get the boot.

I bet if the made a Superfirends 2000 Marving would have grown up to be their arch nemesis because they rejected him back in the day.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-07-31 01:15pm

Ghost Rider wrote:
DPDarkPrimus wrote:"Sweet Christmas!"
Curse you

I don't care what Cage does these days, he'll always be the campy 70s stereotypical Afro-American superhero to me.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-07-31 01:16pm

I remember even as a child watching these walking stereotypes and being mildly embarassed. Hispanics in general were treated fairly shoddily by the comics and cartoons for a long time culminating in such attrocities as Vibe...you all remember Vibe, the break dancing Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx who was a member of the JLA for a time?

The first real life depiction of a well rounded hispanic charcater that I can think of is Rico from the Six Feet Under show. He speaks fluent english and only swicthes into Spanish when he is with another hispanic person and is usually angry or trying to get a distinct point across. That's the way I know my family acted so why did I have to wait until the new milenium for this shit??

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-07-31 01:26pm

Stravo wrote:I remember even as a child watching these walking stereotypes and being mildly embarassed. Hispanics in general were treated fairly shoddily by the comics and cartoons for a long time culminating in such attrocities as Vibe...you all remember Vibe, the break dancing Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx who was a member of the JLA for a time?

The first real life depiction of a well rounded hispanic charcater that I can think of is Rico from the Six Feet Under show. He speaks fluent english and only swicthes into Spanish when he is with another hispanic person and is usually angry or trying to get a distinct point across. That's the way I know my family acted so why did I have to wait until the new milenium for this shit??

LOL...another reason I despised Vibe(that and he was literally a 80's character.)

I mean that JLA team was rife with that garbage.

As fior why it took so long....sheer ignorance.