Stereotype in Comics - King- "Does it take Offense?'

Oh boy. Just thinking about the topic makes me feel uneasy. What I can say about stereotyping in comics, no, in many media is that it's mostly used as a means to represent a race or people's culture in a negative light. What my opinion about it is that it exist, and that it's based on a one-sided misleading view of a group or cultures actions. It's not really necessary for work or even as an ideal but it's used constantly. Why is that? Well as an African American man, you would think that seeing my race simplified as eating watermelon and fried chicken or being into materialistic objects like shoes would have me offended and disgusted. But to my surprise it doesn't. With how comics portrayed people in past comics and the ever more known Blackface, what may look offending to others now was simply how people were viewed and accepted before. It's how people were portrayed BACK THEN. While it was insulting and misleading, I can't change how things were viewed in the past. I can't feel insulted by past actions that have been shaped before. The big lips and the wacky face was racist but it's something that's not accepted anymore. It should never be used as a laugh or a joke but unless it's events that are still taking place today it's pointless to get upset about it. The only real action that you should make toward it is to look down on it and shake your head in shame.

For me personally, I can take my race with a little humor without feeling offended. I personally use stereotypes to joke around with my friends on how misguided the culture was before later times. The only thing that would bother me is if people take the stereotype seriously and use this as an actual basis for fact. This dark humor isn't just used by me and a few others, people who make Vines also joke around with black behavior. On youtube videos, in television shows and many more. It's not to be confused with wanting these treatment to re-appear, it's to play around and mock that people had those views in the first place.

Since I'm talking so much about my race, it's a good time to mention that I have read the graphic novel, King by Ho Che Anderson. It depicted the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and all of his actions follow the time of segregation. It was a interesting read since while I've read some stories on his life, there are even some things that was never covered like how others behaved toward him in a negative light that WASN'T against de-segregation. I loved the art style that everyone has with black and whites using the black color to shape the character of the face and using the white as white space. The  story was carried by the pictures as the text was plain and simple. It didn't match the style of the work and it seemed like it could have been a last minute placement. I also love the switch between the past and the present with one having color and the other is black and white. The story lacks the stereotypical designs that I've been mentioning for this post but it more reinforced the struggles that Black people had to deal with around in the 1900's. It makes me more thankful that I wasn't born in a society that doesn't have White people and Black people separated. That I can be treated like an human being without fighting for my human existence. I like how Anderson has covered the different sides of MLK that most wouldn't have seen and how the issues he's faced weren't meant with an easy stride from his "Have A Dream" speech.

Stereotyping is all around but to take offense from past events and getting mad at people are taking light of the situation is ridiculous and pointless. It should be something to learn from and not take it as actual facts and believable material. I don't feel all that affected by the stereotypes that are shown though the industry but it should be known that I also don't approve of the belief. But I can still have a good laugh at the false belief.