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Post by james on Nov 26, 2023 14:36:33 GMT -5
Was reading Marvel Two in One. Project Pegasus saga, and Ben says mutie a few times and it made me wonder is that now a bad word?
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 26, 2023 15:28:08 GMT -5
"Mutie" has always been an insult, a kind of genetic (as opposed to ethnic or racial) slur, in the world of Marvel mutants.
Cei-U!
I summon the bad Benjy!
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 26, 2023 15:34:01 GMT -5
I guess but it’s made up non real.
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Post by berkley on Nov 26, 2023 16:48:15 GMT -5
I guess but it’s made up non real.
It's an interesting question - what if it became a taboo word within the MU, and Peter Parker, for example, had to use a euphemistic substitute phrase like "the M-word" instead of the actual word or he'd get fired from the Daily Bugle, even if he was only quoting a notorious anti-mutant spokesperson and not espousing anti-mutant views himself?
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 26, 2023 18:13:10 GMT -5
I guess but it’s made up non real. To quote MCU Thor: "All words are made up."
Cei-U! I summon the [Lord of] Lightning!
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 26, 2023 18:16:58 GMT -5
I guess but it’s made up non real. To quote MCU Thor: "All words are made up."
Cei-U! I summon the [Lord of] Lightning!
I love that line. |
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Post by zaku on Nov 27, 2023 4:56:29 GMT -5
In the fictional context of the MU, yes, it's a slur. Obviously, how offensive it is depends on the author of this or that story. It ranges from a deeply racist insult to mockery, but has never been portrayed as a neutral term to describe mutants. By the way, regarding "racism", obviously races do not exist in humans in reality, making bigotry and intolerance even more ridiculous. We still use the word "racism" for convenience even if it has no scientific basis (also because, I don't know, ethnophobia doesn't sound as good). But are mutants, in the context of the Marvel universe, truly another race? Because this is the term used by practically all the characters. "Homo Superior" etc etc. So when in comics they use hatred against mutants as a metaphor for racism, well I think that metaphor has some big limitations. If I hate someone because their skin tone is a different shade than mine, it's obvious that I'm a stupid bigot. If I am afraid of a person because if he sneezes he risks leveling a city, is mine irrational hatred or healthy concern? Was reading Marvel Two in One. Project Pegasus saga, and Ben says mutie a few times and it made me wonder is that now a bad word? Ben is like that old uncle, who tosses around casually the n-word and doesn't understand why everyone is horrified  |
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Post by commond on Nov 27, 2023 17:59:46 GMT -5
It reminds me of the controversy over the word gaijin and the more polite form gaikokujin.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Nov 28, 2023 8:07:55 GMT -5
Is dame a bad word? Depends what country you live in.
Mutie is most assuredly a slur in Marvel comics, but a wouldn't call it a bad word otherwise.
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Post by Dizzy D on Nov 28, 2023 8:18:47 GMT -5
Prejudice against mutants has often been portrayed as racism, but probably various forms of ableism would be more appropriate. Mutants are not a different species as they are capable of reproducing with humans and race has never had any real basis in biology. Humans can give birth to mutants and mutants can give birth to humans and most mutants will be more closely genetically related to many humans than to other mutants. Mutants are born all over the world, so some definitions for subspecies or race also don't seem to apply.
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Post by zaku on Nov 28, 2023 9:23:34 GMT -5
Prejudice against mutants has often been portrayed as racism, but probably various forms of ableism would be more appropriate. Mutants are not a different species as they are capable of reproducing with humans and race has never had any real basis in biology. Humans can give birth to mutants and mutants can give birth to humans and most mutants will be more closely genetically related to many humans than to other mutants. Mutants are born all over the world, so some definitions for subspecies or race also don't seem to apply. This. Perhaps the problem is that the characters casually use the term "homo superior." If you define yourself like that you can't expect there not to be a certain amount of hatred on the part of non-mutants. |
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Post by tonebone on Nov 28, 2023 11:07:23 GMT -5
I mean, if it IS a bad word, in real life, who exactly does it apply to? Not sure I understand the assignment.
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Post by spoon on Dec 8, 2023 21:25:05 GMT -5
Although mutie was usually used like a slur in Marvel comics, during her run on New Mutants, Louise Simonson sometimes seemed to have the members of the team using it as a neutral slang synonym for mutant. It's curious, because she had edited X-Men for a while. One would think she'd be familiar with how Claremont was using the word. Maybe the characters were using it sarcastically and it just didn't come through on the page. But I remember it several times and I just binge-read New Mutants earlier this year.
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Post by zaku on Dec 9, 2023 10:39:54 GMT -5
Although mutie was usually used like a slur in Marvel comics, during her run on New Mutants, Louise Simonson sometimes seemed to have the members of the team using it as a neutral slang synonym for mutant. It's curious, because she had edited X-Men for a while. One would think she'd be familiar with how Claremont was using the word. Maybe the characters were using it sarcastically and it just didn't come through on the page. But I remember it several times and I just binge-read New Mutants earlier this year. Uh, perhaps similar to how black people use sometimes the n-word? |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 9, 2023 15:31:30 GMT -5
Prejudice against mutants has often been portrayed as racism, but probably various forms of ableism would be more appropriate. Mutants are not a different species as they are capable of reproducing with humans and race has never had any real basis in biology. Humans can give birth to mutants and mutants can give birth to humans and most mutants will be more closely genetically related to many humans than to other mutants. Mutants are born all over the world, so some definitions for subspecies or race also don't seem to apply. Well said!!! Comics's understanding of biology is on par with its knowledge of Law. Or transistors. Another concept that often pops up is "the next step in human evolution", which is a complete non-starter; evolution is not moving by steps. It is an amorphous process in which allelic frequency changes in a population. The only actual "next step" in human evolution is nothing more exotic than the next generation! |
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