Worshiping the White Male's Fetish

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CITATION
Rasheed, Muhammad. "Worshiping the White Male's Fetish." Cartoon. The Official Website of Cartoonist M. Rasheed 06 Apr 2019. Pen & ink w/Adobe Photoshop color.

Mandel Cheeks - Unpopular Comicbook Opinion: Storm was a STRONGER character when she was with FORGE than she was with BLACK PANTHER

Muhammad Rasheed - I suspect you think that because when she was with Forge, a white writer wrote her as a stereotype, while the Black writer wrote her with BP as an actual woman.

Clifton Hatchett - You didn't like her with Forge, or her in the leadership role with the X-Men?

Muhammad Rasheed - *shrug* Indifferent either way. I was just responding to the original post opinion.

Mandel Cheeks - @Muhammad... The Black writer wrote her as a STEREOTYPE as well but at at least early on she was independent and strong rather than a trendy cliche to satisfy some power couple mentality. She ceased being her own character and became a prop.

Muhammad Rasheed - @Mandel... Originally she was the half-naked, sexually free "exotic alien-type" stereotype that white writers always create, so she was clearly always a shallow prop. When she took on the mohawk persona, they just added the "strong Black woman" app to the prop. Her value in comicdom is only the fact that she's the only such stereotype prop with longevity in that industry, so she gives the illusion of "being her own character."

What stereotypes did you see the Black writer using for her?

Mandel Cheeks - @Muhammad... and making her an idealized prop for "black exellence" to play second fiddle was any better?

Muhammad Rasheed - It sounds like you're saying being the wife of a Black man was inherently inferior to shacking up with Forge, the "$5 indian" white dude.

In what way was she written as second fiddle?

Clifton Hatchett - This is an interesting critique.

Mandel Cheeks - @Muhammad... nah thats what you looking for me to say. So really spare me. What Im saying is they made a marriage to hype one character above the next and as a result diminished the other solely for the sake of sales and when it went south broke it up a kinda wiped off all the traits STORM was known for. I'm not looking for representation in every thing Im looking for different. Hell Im not even a big storm fan. But I recognized her depth and strengths when written well. Her and Forge were doomed but the polarity if thier story was more intriguing. Her and BP... tgey had to rewrite the hell out if it and it still doesnt gel to me.They shoehorned those two together and everything about it came off as fake and superficial. Black white klingon...dont matter so much as what each had before and after..STORM had her own sway and they killed it trying to market it as a book FIRST.

Muhammad Rasheed - Mandel wrote: "nah thats what you looking for me to say." 

Until you explain what you really mean, that's how it seems.

Mandel wrote: "So really spare me."

Please note that you didn't spare me your unpopular opinion. Eat the critique.

Mandel wrote: "What Im saying is they made a marriage to hype one character above the next..."

That's not how it seemed to me. The union made sense and was organic from my perspective. That they decided to hype it up into an event -- no different than how the company did previous high-profile marriages between less interesting characters in the past -- made sense from a marketing/book sales stand point.

Mandel wrote: "...and as a result diminished the other..."

How was she diminished exactly? Because at this point it STILL seems like you believe being married to a Black man is inherently inferior to being married to Fake Chief Crackerjack.

Mandel wrote: "...solely for the sake of sales..."

It's a publishing company. They do literally everything for the sake of sales.

Mandel wrote: "...and when it went south..."

It didn't "go south." White fanboys just got mad and the company backed down from their tantrum.

Mandel wrote: "...broke it up a kinda wiped off all the traits STORM was known for."

All those stereotypical white writer provided traits you're enamored with? Those?

Mandel wrote: "I'm not looking for representation in every thing Im looking for different."

Thank God for those really, Really, REALLY different classic stereotypes to quench that thirst for you, huh?

Mandel wrote: "Hell Im not even a big storm fan."

Me neither, Mandel.

Mandel wrote: "But I recognized her depth and strengths when written well."

Do you though? lol

Mandel wrote: "Her and Forge were doomed but the polarity if thier story was more intriguing. Her and BP... tgey had to rewrite the hell out if it and it still doesnt gel to me.They shoehorned those two together and everything about it came off as fake and superficial. Black white klingon...dont matter so much as what each had before and after..STORM had her own sway and they killed it trying to market it as a book FIRST."

I 100% disagree with all of this, and to be honest, you come across as if you are a puppet beholden to white interests in some way. But that's just the impression you give me when reading that part. Did you like all of those Tarzan flicks, too? Captain Kirk and all of his "exotic colored alien" flings?

Mandel Cheeks - @Muhammad... LOL.You are the type of reader looking for everything to reflect you aint yah?! Your breaking down my conversation dont make you no more versed in what you looking for. Black fans were reading Storm with just as less complaints as I had about her strong regal intelligence and independence. Dont come on my page with your fake 5% percenter rant bullshit. You dont know jack about me and the novelties I entertain nor are tgey any of your buisness. I I don't fuck give a what you agree with nor were you asked dont but I always noted your nonproductive ass always got a judgement in how black somebody is . Your ability to break a conversation up and shoot somebody down with your opinion on what was said doesn't maked you versed in debate..regurgitation aint intelligence. But since you wanna go there..its thier characters..they can do what they want and bringing a black writer on didnt automatically make for good writing. And in this case it showed. Coates wrote a dull BP. There were better writers. Period. You gonna do the job do it right.

Muhammad Rasheed - Mandel wrote: "LOL.You are the type of reader looking for everything to reflect you aint yah?!"

I have a problem with Black people taking shitty, stereotyped-based crumbs from whites and fighting to the death for them. It looks funny.

Mandel wrote: "Your breaking down my conversation dont make you no more versed in what you looking for."

It's how I keep my thoughts organized as a holdover from the old message board 'quote' format. You don't need to read too much into it.

Mandel wrote: "Black fans were reading Storm with just as less complaints as I had about her strong regal intelligence and independence."

I know. Y'all enjoy accepting shitty, stereotype-based crumbs from white people and worshiping them on a pedestal of fake Blackness. They apparently made you their king. #SweetChristmas

Mandel wrote: "Dont come on my page with your fake 5% percenter rant bullshit."

Hm. First, point out all the "5% percenter" [sic] references I made in the above exchange.

Mandel wrote: "You dont know jack about me and the novelties I entertain..."

Sure I do. That's why you were kind enough to share your unpopular opinion, is it not? Now I know.

Mandel wrote: "...nor are tgey any of your buisness."

Relax. I have no use for it anyway. It's just an intellectual diversion exercise on my day off.

Mandel wrote: "I don't fuck give a what you agree with..."

So?

Mandel wrote: "...nor were you asked..."

Yet, it was heavily implied in your sharing your unpopular opinion. If your skin is too thin for the critique, then go re-read your old Storm X-issues and hush.

Mandel wrote: "...but I always noted your nonproductive ass..."

I'm the author of 20 graphic novels and I was just nominated for a Glyph Comics Award for almost 400 straight days of original editorial cartoons, Mandel. The last thing I am is nonproductive, but go off.

Mandel wrote: "...always got a judgement in how black somebody is ."

Have I? Like who?

Mandel wrote: "Your ability to break a conversation up and shoot somebody down with your opinion on what was said doesn't maked you versed in debate."

Do you feel shot down, Mandel? awww... Put some ointment on it. You'll be alright.

Mandel wrote: "regurgitation aint intelligence."

I'm pretty sure you're the one praising Storm's solid background of white writer stereotypes. Do you know what regurgitate means?

Mandel wrote: "But since you wanna go there..its thier characters..they can do what they want..."

Yeah? Well, that's why I'm indifferent to whatever they want to do with the character. I'm not a fan if you can't tell at this point. You, however, seem to be taking this real personal though. You love her, don't you?

Mandel wrote: "...and bringing a black writer on didnt automatically make for good writing."

We've already established that you prefer how white writers write Black women, so there's no need to go any further on that point. lol

Mandel Cheeks - *Blocks M. Rasheed*

KNephilim - Forgot to mention, powers related to electricity. Check.

But, in reality the comic industry has grown in actual diversity as well as representation over the years (this is from a public recognition standpoint that), I am excited. I say public recognition, because POCs have always been in the industry.

Muhammad Rasheed - In reality, the comics industry is a white supremacist cartel that funnels most of the profits to the few while creating an "Assimilated Integrationist Token" grift program to give the illusion of race relations progress.

KNephilim - Lol. Think about this. With the surge of personal devices that have internet connection, the amount of Black comic artist that have an audience has increased. Though, your right that most publishing companies are run by white supramicist or follow mechanisms of systematic racism, you cannot just deny some progress, because we haven't gained FREEDOM yet. Every step forward should be celebrated, because it took at least a hundred of us to get there.

Muhammad Rasheed - The "Assimilated Integrationist Token" isn't progress, it's a grift scheme designed to remove Black competition from the markets to protect white supremacy. How is it "progress" if I give up my Black business districts for a 13% diversity slot to help white business owners get richer while my own people now lack a self-reliant economic floor?

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MEDIUM: Scanned pen & ink cartoon drawing w/Adobe Photoshop color.

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