"My" people

[Dill]

(04-12-2018, 05:17 PM)PhilHos Wrote: So, I recently downloaded (illegally I'll admit) all the comics associated with DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis miniseries. I'm still in the "prologue" comics, the ones that just have the Monitor making appearances and there's a comic based on a super hero group call the "All Star Squadron". In this particular issue (written and published in 1984), there is a race riot and the villain is inspiring hatred in whites. One of the heroes is a black man (called Amazing Man) who defeats the racist villain.

At the end, after he's vanquished the villain, Amazing Man says something about helping "his people." One of the other heroes (a white woman) responds something like "I wish you would recognize ALL Americans as your people" but she says she understands what he's saying.

It got me thinking: how much closer could we come towards true racial reconciliation if people stopped seeing themselves as part of group based on their race? A friend of mine (who's black) and I have had some discussions on race and one of the things I found surprising is that he sees himself as a black man. The thing is, I don't see myself as a white man. Yes, i know I'm white, but that's not part of how I identify myself, yet, that's part of how he identifies himself.

In any event, gotta give it to the writers of a 3rd tier Justice League-type comic to get me thinking 30+ years later.

A good post Philhos.

If I were Amazing man, I would have answered "Sure, and that will be easy when ALL Americans would recognize ME as one of their people."

By the way, Kudos to AM for marching for equal rights in DC world.  Racism should be eliminated everywhere!