- Joined
- Jun 9, 2013
His argument if I remember right was minority characters are designed to connect with minority readers as self-inserts therefore we can assume they have a background in "oppression". Because of this you don't have to make personal struggles because it can be assume the "hero" has everyone giving them a hard time too like Kamala possibly gets Goobergrape insults online despite no mentions of that in the comic. Meanwhile Peter Parker could be assumed to already be accepted because he's white, that's why you need to add him being a poor nerdy kid who had to grow up into a more responsible adult or have negative personality traits like Peter sometimes being a bit arrogant or being concentrated anxiety.I have no reservations in calling Bob a racist. His racism is not outright hatred espoused by white supremacists--no, no, no. He operates on the racism of lowered expectations where he sees people with a higher melanin count as "exotic" and need the protection of "enlightened" individuals such as himself. Someone like Sowell is complete antithetical to Bob's worldview where African-Americans, Latinos, and other minorities need the (predominantly white) government and programs like affirmative action to thrive rather than their own merit. I recall him sending out a tweet where he claimed that Kamala Khan's status a minority was essentially a "character defect," which goes to show what he thinks of them. At some level whether conscious or not, he can never see them as equals.
I agree it sounds pretty fucked and I'd like to add that seeing capeshit characters as self-insert wish-fulfillment is pretty :autism:. They're their own entities and not the reader no matter how much you wish to beat up people IRL as the Avengers or become diabetic Norman Osborn.