Please, Stop Helping!

I know Saranga is trying to help with this post, but she really isn’t.

So, I finished reading Young Justice. As people may have noticed I think it's rather good. But there's always a but, right? Take Empress - cool costume, cool power, cool character background etc etc. I feel that making the sole black chick's power a voodoo one is, how shall we say it, racial stereotyping? And then on top of that she gets naked to cast a spell? Jesus. I call that racist. Probably not racist through maliciousness, more racist through lack of imagination and thought, but still racist.

Which is another way of saying that either:

A.  Voodoo should not be in comics like other religious beliefs are. In other words, there should be less religious diversity in comics. (BTW, Voodoo should be capitalized like “Christianity” is, but far be it from me to suggest that someone should “Just do it right. Please? Do your research first.” Nor would I call someone who didn’t capitalize it a ethnocentrist or racist.)

B.  People involved in Voodoo should not be blacks despite the fact that they are the group most involved in the religion. Instead the characters should be white, I guess. In other words, there should be less ethnic diversity in comics.

My other problem with the run is the deaf girl Arrowette makes friends with on the way to the games. I'm fully supportive of including more (any?) deaf people in comics and literature but i think it should be handled well. It should not be inferred that deaf people are experts on lip reading. Only about 30% of all words are formed on the lips, the rest are formed with the tongue and throat. So, it's impossible to lip read 100% of all speech. It really would be nice to see communication issues reflected accurately. ... Comics can provide a good forum to educate people about illnesses/disability/social issues so bring it on. Just do it right. Please? Do your research first.

I agree that it is nice to see deaf people in comics and that it is not possible to read lips in the way that it appears in comics. But seriously, would it really be nice to see communication issues reflected accurately in comics? Do we stop the action to have people repeat things and point, gesturing to get their point across, maybe whipping out little pads to write stuff? If we are really going to have communication issues reflected accurately in comics it’s another way of saying “Please put in pages of mundane communication problems in comics because that’s what we buy comics for.” Frankly, I believe a deaf character would wear out her welcome in no time if that were the case. If we want more deaf people in comics, I’m not sure the mundane issues need to be added like we don’t see comic characters on the toilet a lot despite the fact that that would also make comics more accurate. Seriously, can we get over the idea that a medium full of the most unrealistic people in the most unrealistic environment doing the most unrealistic things is “a good forum to educate people?” Good forums to educate people are schools and personal interactions. People don’t buy comics to be educated.

(And on another note, I really hate Cassandra Cain's ability to read body movement like a language - it doesn't make sense! People growing up without speech and without hearing don't communicate as she did. It's a stupid plot device.)

Stop the presses! Saranga has discovered that super powers don’t really work that way! Quick, someone find out if a transfusion of mongoose blood will really give you super speed! And someone please tell me I didn’t expose myself to massive doses of radiation for nothing! Surely, comics are a good forum to educate people on the benefits of radiation, right?

I should add that fro Buffy to be gay or bi she'd have to actually crush on women.

I should add that no, you shouldn’t add that. One does not need to have crushes to be gay or bi. There were plenty of guys I wanted to have sex with that I did not have crushes on that let me know I was gay. Not only did I not have to have a crush, I did not have to know the guy’s name. Someone passed on the street would do.

I know Saranga is trying to help, but the poor thing just isn’t helping. I’m sure her heart is the right place, however.