More specifically, who’s going to be the group targeted by TV and movie studios in their ongoing provision of bread and circuses, skirting but not crossing over that fine politically correct line, skillfully managing to titillate our fear and loathing of people not like ourselves?
Aliens? Did that–see Men in Black, the X-Files (Aside: in MIB, remember how that sergeant dude shot up that alien through the plate glass window after it said it wanted all humans to die and then started transmitting high-powered feedback into the President’s brain? Wasn’t that cool? Don’t you wish we had an enemy we could shoot up in real life with so little thought or compunction?
The English? Also did that–see Braveheart, The Patriot, Austin Powers (Aside: would you ever dare think about, say, a black person’s stereotypical features the same way we openly riducule English teeth?)
Russians? Beating a dead horse; last one I remember was Rambo III
The French? Too easy, only useful for light comedy like French Kiss; not really satisfying. Also, they’re white and obnoxious, too much like us, really–nothing much to ridicule except their accents. Too bad Smellovision isn’t around anymore.
Cyborgs? Quite effective, but can only be used sparingly for maximum effect–see Star Trek: First Contact (that creepy Borg queen, seducing our innocent Mr. Data–stay away from them furrin wimmen, Data!)
I’m out of ideas. What group do you think should be the next target for our subconscious racial fears?
Post quickly, so that we can forward these ideas to Hollywood ASAP. Otherwise, we may yet again have to endure embarassingly transparent and over the top efforts like Jar Jar Binks and Watto the long-nosed money-grubbing alien slave dealer. There’s not a moment to spare!
Actually, that was ID4. If you were a tasteless swine like the rest of us gutter-swilling trash, you might have known that. Gettin’ all high and mighty on my ass.
What about Iraqis? They haven’t been made fun of much yet.
[hijack]
I think we’ve had about enough of the space/alien movies. The last few years have been full of them (Red Planet, Mission to Mars, Starship Troopers, The 5th Element, Mars Attacks, ID4, MIB, Armageddon, Deep Impact, Contact, Titan A.E…) I’m predicting there will be an uncharacteristically low amount of space movies in the next few years, 'cause people are just tired of it.
Well, this should get kicked… either to the GQ board or to the pit, depending on how one decides to treat the vauge and half-assed allusions to racial stereotyping in the Media.
If I’m to answer the OP, regardless of personal feelings, I think it’s going to be gays… there are several shows coming with gay primary characters, and I think that fundy media are going to have a field day with it.
waterj2—you’re a little slow on the uptake, ain’t you?
Somebody explain. Trying to spell out the metaphors here would make my head hurt.
<sigh> :rolleyes:
OK. The X-Men are part of a closed, “counterculture” of mutants. They are hunted & hated, not because of any crime, but because of what they are. They discover their
uniqueness/mutation/homosexuality during adolescence.
Got it?
There’s more, but you can dope out the rest.
A little help please. What does the 4 mean? I saw Independence Day, went to look at the box for the video & don’t see any “4”. Were three sequels made while I wasn’t looking?
I’m sure that Stan and the rest of the guys at Marvel were thinking of all that back in the 70’s when they first came up with the X-Men.
Sheesh.
And while it may be at least partially relevant, I don’t think that that’s what the creators had in mind. According to Stephen King, any horror story or things about being different, is really about the feelings of adolescence. The fears of not being part of the accepted group, the feeling of isolation and a body that’s out of control. All of that may be part of X-Men, but I don’t think that homosexuality is part of it, or at least wasn’t when it was started.
Heck, if gays could blast us with eye-lasers, Gay Pride day would be much more fun… hehehehehe…
No, but considering the ethnic derivation of Stanley “Stan Lee” Lieber and many of the other giants of the comic book industry, I bet that the evolution of the world of the X-Men and their hated circle of mutants had a lot to do with being Jewish.
Oh, and FTR, the X-Men date all the way back to the early 1960s.
