Salon Bemoans Spider-Man, Movie Superheroes Being 'Straight, White Men'

NewsBusters ^ | April 29, 2014 | Matthew Balan

[2ndDivisionVet]

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw lamented how the movie depictions of Spider-Man and other superheroes are all "straight, white men" in a Tuesday item on Salon.com titled "America deserves better superheroes: Why a straight, white Spider-Man is no longer a real underdog." Baker-Whitelaw, a "fandom and Internet culture" reporter for the website The Daily Dot, zeroed in on the supposed "ramifications of having eternal underdog Peter Parker remain a straight, white man."

The writer also complimented Andrew Garfield, the actor who plays the title character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, for wondering why the superhero "can't...be into boys," and contended that Sony, the studio releasing the upcoming movie, "might benefit from listening to...Garfield's comments on the potential hypocrisy of portraying Peter Parker as being marginalized by society." She later hoped that superhero movies would catch up with the "reasonably progressive and diverse representation of real-life America" in present-day comic books:

...Marvel movies are often praised for being more progressive than your average summer blockbuster...but they're still decades behind the comics....none of those movies have starred anyone other than a straight, white man in the lead role. The Avengers franchise has managed a handful of female characters in non-romantic roles, plus Falcon and Nick Fury in the supporting cast, but the mere concept of an openly LGBT character still feels like a pie-in-the-sky dream. Meanwhile in Marvel comics, Northstar came out in 1992, opening the floodgates for a whole host of other LGBT heroes....

[RichInOC]

Oh, these poor souls. Do they really not know the homosexual subtext of those stories has been remarked on enough that it’s been turned into a comedy routine?

[Olog-hai]

I think they’re prejudiced against straight green superheroes.

[Bratch]

This is a job for Superman!

Superman is...busy.

[zencycler]

Great, so I guess this means that the folks at Salon want to encourage women, minorities and people of all sexual preferences to become real-life heroes as well, say by joining the police or the military, right?

So when will I be reading the articles in Salon about why all universities should be welcoming ROTC onto their campuses - particularly the more liberal campuses with the more diverse student demographics?

After all, they can't just be concerned about proportional representation among fictional heroes, could they? I'm sure they must also care about having more diverisity among the real life heroes who commit their lives to serving and protecting the rest of us.

Oh, and since this is reality, and we can't expect these heroes to possess any super-powers, then I'm sure the folks at Salon must also now be in favor of arming all these diverse citizen soldiers, so they can use thier guns in the real-life fight against evil, right?

[chris37]

Well, gays are too into themselves to worry about saving anyone else.

[Pontiac]

She later hoped that superhero movies would catch up with the "reasonably progressive and diverse representation of real-life America" in present-day comic books:

Since when are Comic Books supposed to be representations of real-life America or real life anywhere else.

Comic Books are escapism. Comic Books are representations of what the author envisions as what he would like the world in some sense to be.

Why does the Left want every aspect of the world have to adhere to their view of justice? Why do they want every little thing in the world have to be the way they want it to be?

[MasterGunner01]

I guess Salon is bemoaning the crying need at the box office for homosexual-transgendered-minority-mixed race superheroes? Two percent of the pervert population is telling the other 98% what kind of superheroes they should want? Where do they get these drug snorting authors?

[Milton Miteybad]

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw lamented how the movie depictions of Spider-Man and other superheroes are all "straight, white men" in a Tuesday item on Salon.com titled "America deserves better superheroes: Why a straight, white Spider-Man is no longer a real underdog."

This whole premise is completely stupid. Spider-Man is supposed to be a superhero who can dependably conquer evil, not some underdog.

What business does this clown have writing this article about superheroes if he doesn't even understand the concept?

[Rodamala]

The Venture Bros. cartoon put forth a character, Captain Sunshine, that had overbearing shades of having pedophile tendancies... it was a total rip of the whole TV Batman and Robin insinuation.

The character "Shore Leave" in the same cartoon was a parodied flaming homosexual version of the G.I. Joe cartoon characters Shipwreck, combined with Gung Ho.

I like the fact that these characters are parodies of themselves... and are shown as "not normal".

[sten]

what’s going on is the push by fags to make the average American think homosexuality is ‘normal’

anyone that says it is needs to google ‘Folsom street fair’ and ‘goatse’

meanwhile, where’s the outrage over this publication promoting the thought of homosexual pedophilia?

[sten]

that’s how propaganda works

[GOYAKLA]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackhawk_(DC_Comics)

You both may have like theses guys?
I read them in the 1940s(!’m now 78yYO).

[Pontiac]

Of course none of these Gays know that Comic Book publishers are discriminating against them until this shill for the Left tells them that they should be upset about it.

[shibumi]

Soon you'll be able to "Marvel" at this:

Armed only with his trusty blow dryer.....

[Bratch]

Oh, these poor souls. Do they really not know the homosexual subtext of those stories has been remarked on enough that it’s been turned into a comedy routine?

[BradyLS]

Superhero comics and movies always seem to have that unspoken stigma attached to them. Hard not to. Crazy outfits, super powers, hidden identities and the fear of their discovery... If they were also anything but straight, the genre probably would not have gained enough acceptance to be a part of the mainstream of culture. It would just be too dang weird.

[Yaelle]

I’ve always been so disappointed that superheroes were depicted as straight. Also, “Father Knows Best”: I’m sure everyone watching in the 50s was so upset over how hetero that couple appeared. Total breeders.

And Mary Tyler Moore. Mr. Grant. Not gay. Mary. Not gay. Phyllis. Not gay. Rhoda... Not sure. Sue Ellen- most definitely not gay. What a disappointing show.

Even Mickey Mouse is into female mice.

What is this world coming to?

[kaehurowing]

The Archie issue was so successful they are shutting the comic down after killing Archie.

[Olog-hai]

Seems like this board prefers older-style HTML.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackhawk%5F%28DC%5FComics%29

[Secret Agent Man]

Lots of things. Foremost the hatred of the average straight guy. You know the guy that was head of the family, worked for a living, loved women who were women and liked being women, and who built this country with his hands and his progeny.