THR contributor Richard Newby reflects on our superhero-obsessed culture's notions of authority and justice
America is a culture dominated by superhero stories, men and women in masks taking their fights to the streets, buildings becoming collateral damage in the struggle for survival. Yet when black people, clad in COVID masks, do this in real life, for a real cause, that’s not aliens or robots, but nothing less than our right to exist, we are labeled “criminals,” “thugs” and “terrorists.” The destruction of property is given more weight and tears than the destruction of black lives.
Over the past two weeks we’ve been inundated with images and videos from the protests that have swept America following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers, separate incidents in what have become a painfully common occurrence in America. I’ve been grappling with this over the weeks, on-top of struggling with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in February, on-top of struggling with all the murders of black men and women before that.
I’d argue it’s not difficult for most Americans to understand why Nazis are villainous. The awareness to that kind of surface-level villainy has been ingrained in us, partly through comic books’ continued use of Nazi villains like Red Skull, Master Man, Captain Nazi, and Paul von Gunter, originally as a means to support the war efforts during World War II, and now a means to create a clear cut line dividing good and evil.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Six Feet Under' star Rachel Griffiths acknowledges 'white bitch privilege' in protest post apologyAustralian actress and director Rachel Griffiths is apologizing after facing backlash for a self-described 'shallow' update on her nails amid the protests over George Floyd's death in America.
Read more »
Today's Headlines: Mattis denounces TrumpPresident Trump receives more backlash over his response to widespread protests, including unprecedented criticism from his former Pentagon chief.
Read more »
Trump's former defense secretary Mattis blasts president as a threat to American democracyFormer Defense Secretary James Mattis blasted Trump as failing to unite the country and militarizing the response to protests of George Floyd's death.
Read more »
'The Wiz'—And 14 More Iconic Black Films You Need to Add to Your WatchlistFor the culture, by the culture.
Read more »
Trina Responds After 'Animal' Backlash, Rioters Are Hurting MessageTrina just responded to backlash for her 'animal' comments, saying riots and looting are still bad.
Read more »