Racism and double standard of Archie comic books

Someone started a thread about the upcoming IR storyline in Archie comics. But the whole story wasn't being told in that thread and its links. The link below is to a story that I've been sitting on for about a week. It not only exposes the racism and prejudices of some of those who are running the Archie comics, it also demonstrates the same double standard of IR in mainstream media: chicken out when its a black man and white woman, go ahead (compromise) when its a white man and black woman and call it bold progress.


http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/02/03/the-racial-politics-of-riverdale/


The Racial Politics of Riverdale: Why an Interracial Kiss Is Still a Big Deal

Feb 3rd 2010 By: Chris Sims

Looking through Previews this month, we spotted the solicitation for "Archie" #608, where everyone's favorite teen is on the cover kissing Valerie Brown from "Josie and the Pussycats," and while that might seem pretty tame to anyone who doesn't spend a great deal of time obsessing over Riverdale and its residents...

...this is actually a pretty big deal.

How big? Well, in an essay on his website, comics writer Dwayne McDuffie relates a story of an irate reaction by the Archie editors at a story of interracial dating in "Betty and Me" back in 1992. According to McDuffie, writer Matt Wayne wanted to add some tension to the series by starting another love triangle, this time with Betty as the focus, being fought over by Archie and a new character, Dexter. Archie and Dexter would become friendly rivals in the same way that Betty and Veronica were, with the added benefit that the stories would actually be about Betty.

The problem? Dexter was black. And as McDuffie relates...


Darryl called Matt with the bad news. [The editor] had literally thrown the issue at him. He hated the stuff, wanting to know why Dexter was so much more accomplished than Archie, "What is he, super-Negro?" (at least, "Negro" is what everyone who told me this story reported him as saying. I have a sneaking suspicion that they were trying to save my feelings). Darryl was very upset and told off his boss, but to no avail. He was ordered to change the story in the cheapest way possible: Dexter was to be re-colored white.


And that's not the last time it happened, either. As recently as 2008 -- 2008! -- a "Dating Game" style story-arc in "Betty and Veronica Double Digest" saw Cheryl Blossom hooked up with new characters, with readers voting on which one she should stick with. One of the potential love interests, Brandon, a character that was clearly black in the solicitations, show up with a much lighter skin tone in the actual issues:

The common thread here, of course, is that they were both black characters built as love interests for white girls.

To their credit, Archie has ramped up their efforts at adding a little diversity to the formerly gentrified Riverdale, especially recently. The last few years have seen the introduction of characters like Raj Patel, Kimiko, Tomoko, and even more featured roles for older characters like Ginger Lopez and starring roles for the core cast's original black character, Chuck Clayton:

Are these characters one-dimensional? Well, yes, but they're one-dimensional in the way that all Archie characters are, like Raj, who is frequently described as -- wait for it -- "out-Raj-eous." He's defined by one thing -- in this case, his aspirations as an amateur filmmaker -- but no more than Archie, who's defined by being a girl-crazy klutz. It's a reduction of a character to one note, but it's a rare case of that one note being completely unrelated to their race.

Of course, our favorite subtle example of racial aspects of Riverdale comes in a story where Archie, deciding he wants to learn more about manga, just automatically assumes that his Japanese-American classmate Tomoko will have the answers, only to find out that she and her parents are Riverdale natives, her family having emigrated three generations back, and Tomoko could not be less into comics. It's a small part of the story, but it's a subtle way for Archie to learn a lesson about how making even "good-natured" assumptions about people based on race is not a great way to go.

Then again, any illusions of progress were shattered by the fact that the Tomoko story hit shelves before Brandon's whitewashing.

This, however, is a different matter. Yes, it's Archie kissing Valerie, which certainly plays into fears of miscegenation far less than having a black boy with a white girl, but the fact remains that they've put it on the cover. And unlike Brandon and Dexter, two new characters that readers weren't familiar with, Val's the longest-running black character the company has, making her first appearance way back in 1969. In selling the issue with that image, they've essentially locked themselves out of a change, short of something drastic that would involve re-lettering the whole story to make it about Melody, which at this point would be pretty noticeable.

So does it make up for Brandon and Dexter? No. But it is a step in the right direction, and we're glad to see that there's progress, even if -- like everything else in Riverdale -- it's moving a heck of a lot slower than everywhere else.

 

I learn something everyday.

 

The author of the article tries really hard to make this into real progress.

I just got back from watching Kickass. There were two trailers with Zoe Saldana. In both she's paired with WM. In one of the trailers (The Losers) it shows her half naked on top of a WM who looks old enough to be her father.

The Archie article is an unimpressive attempt to take something which is just "more of the same" and turn it into "progress."

 

Whoa America doesn't like bm. I'm appaules I'm devistated I'm shocked.
Please it's the same ol shit just a different day. Come get me when there's some real progress.

 

So di *I*, m8..

I kinda have chagrin that *I*, a Craftsmsan Of The Trade (i.e. animator) had NOT seen that in the past..

But, it's all a matter of keeping my mug behind a camera and/or drawing board with my OWN projects....

and being involved, deeply involved in my OWN off-duty projects......

if you know what I mean...................................

I've not SERIOUSLY read a new Archie comic (or DC or even MARVEL)since.....the early 1990's or so..


an' so it goes..





















OpinionsCartoonStudios@Yahoo.Co.UK

 

Hey I've been thinking about doing an animated commercial that would be about a minute ,ong how much would something like that cost. I also wrote a script for a cartoon.

 

Not that I ever bought Archie comics but sure ain't doing it now.

 

Shaft,I saw The Losers and wondered why a BW can have a "love" scene with a WM but not a brother with a WW?

 

Because apparently we don't like sex or have dicks. Unless its porn.

 

No offense but the problem with some of you is that you would actually see "The Losers". Not only did it get mostly bad reviews but, um, did you see any of the trailers? Those pretty much told you that the black chick would be getting it on with the white guy. And that alone ensured I would not support the film. When Hollywood gets around to giving us BM/WF hookups in mainstream films only then will I fork over my cash for those with WM/BF pairings (exceptions will be amde for truly outstanding movies). I won't support this double standard.

What ticks me off the most is that in the comic book Zoe's character is not black. But the black male director who made this film chose Zoe and gave her a white love interest Meanwhile he cast two black dudes in the film as well but is afraid to go the interracial route with either of them. If I'm not mistaken he cast another black lady to play a somewhat love interest to one of the black dudes. There is a name for black male directors like this : field slave (or field Negro if you like). More proof of the absolute cowardice of black men.

 

Fam directors don't have control over movies studios do. If they don't think IR scenes between bm and ww will make money they won't put it out. Frankly I they're right the movie going public which is mostly white probably wouldn't go for that. Most ww want to see on screen romance with wm and wm want to see hook ups with all kind of women but no real commitment. Black dollars don't carry enough weight.

 

Black men with no balls at all.

 

Well, we know the real reason. I'm sure ifyou ask the studio they'll give you some ready made pc response.

 

The bolded part is patently untrue. There is no evidence, whatsoever, to suggest that White Women prefer onscreen romance between ww & wm. There is a great deal of evidence that this is what is marketed to them, but none whatsoever that this is what they prefer to watch.

When IR is marketed to WW, they embrace it with at least as much enthusiasm as they do when monoracial romance is marketed to them.

If this was not the case, that Old Spice commercial wouldn't have happened. Save the Last Dance would not have happened. There aren't many examples, because all of entertainment is designed specifically for this thing to not happen.

But that's not because White Women don't want it.

 

Chi don't confuse your preference with what's popular. Yes there are films where there are IR scenes and they do well but make no mistake if a film like Twilight was made a black heart throbe it wouldn't do well. If you want more proof take a look at people's 100 beautiful people. Black people make up 12 percent of the country . I dare you to find 6 black men in there let alone 12 black people.

 

Co-sign.

 

Absolutely untrue. And it has nothing to do with my preference. WW have always been turned on by onscreen IR. WW tend to like any onscreen romance that has the basic elements they are looking for, and IR tends to come with many of those elements built-in.

Nobody has definitive information about what racial pairings White Women want to see, because nobody cares what they actually want to see. It's not about them. It's about the people paying for the film.

What would that have to do with anything? Why would you think that People markets to what WW want to find hot, and not what the companies which pay them want them to call hot?

And what would that have to do with whether White Women want to see onscreen romances with IR?

Regardless, I can't find the full list of 100 anywhere. I get the top 17 for 2010, 2009, or 2008. I would be very surprised if you could not find 6 Black people in the entire list, but I don't see what that would have to do with the conversation.

 

First it's racism in New Moon, now Archie comics...

 

How can you possibly co-sign? How can any Man pretend to be so certain what any Woman is looking for in on-screen romance? We don't tell you all that much. We know this shit bores you.

Women are like Trekkies when it comes to fictional romance. The producers know we will show up if they give us the barest essentials, so after that point they just do what they want to do.

When All My Children brought out Noah & Julia, the fans went insane. White Women couldn't get enough of Keith Hamilton Cobb's character. They killed him off. Practically right away. There were letter writing campaigns, exclamations of anguish, but nothing. TPTB had spoken.

The exact same thing happened on Andromeda, when the female fans went nuts begging for an IR relationship between Cobb's character and the Blonde female character. Not going to happen. Never. Given that answer, the female fans responded with thousands of pages of fanfic written the way *they* wanted to see the show -- with Beka & Tyr together.

White Women just want to see romance between people with chemistry. They want angst and banter and tenderness, and a little bit of smut here and there. They generally don't care what races are involved. They really don't.

If you guys think White Women are actually sitting around giving a damn what race the leading Man is in any given romance you're nuts. So long as he is hot and seems like he wants to tear the clothes off of the leading lady, they're happy.

This has nothing to do with my preference, and everything to do with Women in general. Not that anyone ever listens to them, or ever will. The money is what's important, and too much of the money isn't interested in onscreen IR.

 

So you don't see a correlation between what a popular publication prints as beautiful and what people go to the theaters to see. If ww didn't agree with that list they'd be as riled up as bm when the media tries to call Precious beautiful.
Again do me a favor and list ten black hearthrobs from the movie world over the last ten years and to make this hard no Denzel and no Will Smith and i'd like to know which movie they were popular in go!