Monday Mix-Up: Luke Cage, Whitewashed

ByGlenn Hauman

Sweet Christmas. Sweet White Christmas.

One is inevitably reminded of the story Harlan Ellison tells of the movie executive who wanted to remake the movie The Wiz, but recast with all white actors.

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3 Comments

  1. I argued recently with someone who was VERY offended that Perry White might be played by a black guy. He said, “The character is White! It’s in his NAME!” I said, “That’s just his name. White’s ethnicity has never played a central role in defining the character.” Perry White is a curmudgeon, a work-aholic, a stern editor willing to risk the lives of his reporters to get the story. But occasionally White will do something heroic himself. He’s not as craven of self-centered as J. Jonah Jameson. I have no problem with a Black Nick Fury or a Black Perry White.

    But, Luke Cage is Black. In the 70s, he was cartoonishly black. He wasn’t THE black racial stereotype (because there is more than one), but he was A black stereotype. A steel-skinned Shaft. And I don’t see much wrong with Cage being a stereotype, as long as the writers get a chance to flesh that out and occasionally play against type. That’s the function of comic books, to not only play with stereotype, but to CREATE stereotypes, archetypes even!

    I could even see Batman as a black guy.

    Now, the JOKER is definitely a white guy.

  2. Even JJJ has done selfless and courageous things.

    Aside from his hard-on for Spider-Man, Jonah is an old-fashioned newspaper guy* who believes in getting the story and believes in the power of the press to accomplish Good Things.

    ===========================

    *I originally typed “newspaper goy”. I almost let it stand to see who’d pick up on it.

  3. @Russ: I guess you’re friend never heard of some not-so-white “White” folks. Toss out the names of Barry White (the 70s era baby-making musicmaker) or Karyn White (the late 80s R&B singer) or Maurice White (founder of Earth, Wind & Fire). Among actors, names like Jaleel White (he of Steve Urkel fame) or Slappy White (regular on the Dean Martin roasts and performed with Redd Foxx on the “Chitlin Circuit”). Sports is filled with Black “Whites”–the NFL’s Reggie and Pat, baseball’s Devon and Frank. And there’s a former mayor of Cleveland, Michael.

    The reality is that (per the 2000 Census) “White” ranks as the 14th most common surname among African-Americans in the US (somewhat interestingly, while it’s also the 14th most common among Whites, it ranks only #20 among all ethinicities).

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