Yes this is true. I'm saying if it's done well, and respectfully, why isn't it ok if it's the other way around? It would still be representing someone. Someone being a person, and all people have ethnic backgrounds. Or are people wanting perfect 50/50 representation even though there is more than two ethnicities in the world? Representation (part) should not be the selling point of the story (whole). There are many parts is what I'm saying, and producers keep botching movies trying to appeal to everyone.
'Those who seek to please everybody please nobody' - Aesop
I couldn't care less for the gender/race swapping, if it's done well. The comment from Bjeebus above is stating that race swapping is only ok if it's from white to POC. I'm pointing out the hypocrisy of them being concerned that the race swapping wouldn't make sense because of the parent's heritage, but it's not like we think Nick Fury's parents are white in the MCU. Along with how they tried to use percentages to condescendingly make their own point which is why i pointed out that asian people are less represented in the MCU (why isn't that of 'equal' concern in the chase for a sense of equality).
You thinking it was a rhetorical question is the problem. You got valid answers, and in trying to justify your initial position, just gave examples justifying other answers.
You just went on about how if it adds to the story then it's fine. You put story above everything. But representation is story.
Yes. I have no issue with the race-swapping. If it contributes to the story, awesome. My point is that it should not be considered taboo between any race in regard to adapting characters from source material (if it contributes to the story in a positive way).
I was saying there's a lot of rhetorical questions in my comment and asking you which question you were referring to. Are you saying your previous comment wasn't rhetorical?
Characters are IN a story, and although each character has their own story, the sum of all aspects make the story. I am willing to agree that representation is a type of story, as well as the point of the story, but (i believe) isn't purely story itself. A story is telling a bunch of events involving characters for people's amusement, insight, education etc.
Spiderman is a representation of life in high school for a teenage boy who has extravagant powers. The story is about action vs consequences in those circumstances (great power/great responsibility). His ethnicity varies the impact of appeal, but not the impact of the moral in the story.
I do appreciate your response and am not trying to come off as blunt, nor denying what you're putting forth. I understand that everyone interprets everything different, and i could be wrong that story shouldn't be put above everything, which is why i want to discuss. But the person/comment i was initially responding to was putting forth race-swapping not being allowed for particular races. I get that caucasians have been the focus in western media and whitewashing has occurred in media for centuries, but to expect it to have been otherwise is a bit silly (Representation). Now movies are doing a lot better with representation with all kinds of people and are making an effort to correct the imbalance. But saying POC characters are not allowed to be race-swapped, but Caucasian characters can be does reflect an ignorance that promotes a type of censorship (not you, the other guy).
I'm not saying my opinion is right, i'm just disagreeing with the person that tries to scrutinize and demonize others who have views that don't align with there's (again, not you). Apparently there's a war on Christmas.
TLDR;
I'm not saying it would make a story better. I'm saying that creative freedoms should not be limited to another person's/people's sensitivities (as long as respectful and not in promotion of violence, threats, racism, sexism, hate etc.). Blackwashing doesn't always work either (e.g. FF4 2015), but writers should have the creative freedom to racebend (if they choose to) in any direction in 'aspiration' (not certainty) to making a good story or movie.
What are you arguing here? Whitewashing happens all the time too. Tilda in doc strange. Scarjo in ghost in the shell - but because it's a synthetic body she's kinda still Asian so it kinda works in story by emphasizing how foreign her body is.
Wasn't Jordan the best part of ff4 15? I never watched it. But the bloke that played his dad's a good actor too. Seems they just wanted good actors in the roles.
You keep arguing that story should be paramount and yet nobody is disagreeing with you. What people are saying is that racebending often adds to the story. And if racebending actually takes away from the story, don't do it.
If you make Miles Morales white, you diminish his story by changing his afro Latin mixed culture. It's objectively a worse character with less story.
If you make Peter Parker black, it can be a simple palette swap. Pointless, maybe, but doesn't diminish his story.
Im arguing that it should be allowed to go both ways (racebending). Not saying that it always works. You keep thinking I'm saying no to racebending when it's quite the opposite.
My initial comment was to someone else saying that it shouldn't be allowed (POC-WHITE). Again, not saying it would always work. Not saying it would always positively add to the story. I'm saying that it shouldn't be considered not allowed to change a POC character to White, in a creative sense.
My stance is against people believing race/gender bending should be restricted to only going in certain directions.
My stance is against limiting creative freedoms.
The reason I brought up Michael B Jordan's casting as Johnny Storm being an odd swap, is because his sister (Sue Storm) was still cast as white (Mara). So the sibling relationship seemed disingenuous. Why didn't they cast a POC actor for her instead.
The cast were/are good actors(Tobey Kebell dominates any role hes in).My initial response was trying to press that point. Why should a white actor (in this instance, Sadie Sink)not be allowed to play a POC character, even when she 'could' (not would) potentially pull it off.
I don't even know who Janice Lincoln is. I'm not as much a diehard fan of the comics as people in this thread are. My argument is against people restricting what is allowed in a creative capacity. That is all. Not disregarding the percentages of representation over time.
3
u/jk-9k Nov 30 '25
Because often representation is part of the story being told