Essay Sample on The X-Men as Social Commentary on Prejudice

Prejudice is judging people by using qualities that do not reflect their character and it is the grounding force of social inequality. Prejudice is the feeling that people have against one another and which influences the perception without having any evidence and reason for the negative views. Prejudice results from the fact that certain types of people are of less value than other people and that are lees capable as compared to others in the society (Eisner, 102). Discrimination is the act that results from the act of prejudicial attitudes. This occurs when people have expectations and feelings against other people that serve to affect other people in a negative way. The negative perception might be based on sex, gender, pregnancy, marital status among other and may in turn lead to the stereotyping of other people. Prejudice and discrimination are widespread in the society, and this proves the need to tackle such vices (Hughes, 72). Activists have developed various ways to tackle prejudice and discrimination in the society, and one of the ways is through the use of comics and movies.

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The x-men comics and movies have great effects in tackling prejudice and inequality in the society. The x-men series highlight the context of discrimination in the society as it is evident in x-men, x-2, x-men: First Class, and the wolverine. The films received positive previews upon their release, and the theme of discrimination is well played in the x-2 and the x-men, this is due to the highlighting of the dark, realistic tones and the various subtexts that deal with discrimination in the society. The highlighting of the ideas of discrimination and intolerance in the x-men: The Last Stand and x-me Origins: The Wolverine attracted criticism from the society (Gerde, 246). The reality such as discrimination and inequality that x-men films highlight in the society lead to increase in the sales of the films and this has made the films to sell worldwide making the x-me film series ta rank number 14 among the highest-grossing film franchise of all time making the films to sell foe more than 3 billion US dollars worldwide (Gerde, 248).

The x-men comics and movies have a strong message on discrimination and inequality in the society, and the main idea is to change the perception of the society against the vices. This seeks to improve unity and cohesion in the society to ensure that different people can accommodate one another despite the difference in color and sex, gender among others. The comics and movies, therefore, help the society to shun the sources of discrimination in the society. The x-men sensitize the society to tackle the issues of discrimination when it employs the use of super-powered humans, who are called the mutants, who face various forms of discrimination from the fellow citizens and their government (Dyson, 220). The comics and the movies employ the use of sci-fi and allegory in to portray issues among them being civil rights movement and the AIDS crisis in the modern society.

The x-men comics and movies help to show the effects of discrimination and prejudice in the society. This is evident in the way the book shows how the mutants are despised, feared, and hated by the whole humanity because they are more superior to the humans. The movies, therefore, lay strong thoughts on the opposition of the racial discrimination and inequality in the society (Trushell, 149). The movies, therefore, show issues in the society that relate to racism, prejudice, and bigotry. The discussion about the integration of the x-men and the humans arise when the x-mens leader Charles Xavier is asked whether it is of importance to unite with the humans. The Xavier's nemesis, Magneto, has an opposing view to that of Xavier, and he terms the mutants as analogs due to the special power that the mutants portray.

The movies and the comics portray the effects of discrimination, and this is evident in when the teenager revealed to his parents that he was a mutant. The response that his parents give him shows the perception that the human has on the x-men, and this is a direct symbolism of the effects of discrimination in the society. After the teenager revealing to his parents that he is a mutant, his parents as him have you ever tried not being a mutant?' In this light, the x-men comics and movies have the idea that is by human fault that some people are black while others are white; other people are male while others are females among others (McAllister, 108). The comics and movies, therefore, show that it is not by human choice that they are black or white, male or female. The x-men, therefore, advise the society to appreciate one another and understand that everything is controlled by nature.

There is, however, some critics that serve to analyze the ideas of discrimination in the society. One artist, Orion Martin states that x-men serve to promote discrimination indirectly by the use of all white characters in the movies and the comics. The artists posit that by the omission of the blacks in the movies and the comics, the movies help to promote discrimination as they do not give any black character a role to play. This serves to develop the idea of discrimination on the grounds of race and the resulting inequality in the society. This makes the movies and the comics fail in real-life representation and to make it fall short of the validity of the ideas of discrimination and inequality (Bukatman, 118). In response to the idea of poor representation of all races in the comics and the movie, the movie directors explain that by the use of all whites in the movie, the white people can own the movie and accept the widespread discrimination in the society.

Using all the white people in the comics and the movies helps the whites to own the movies and accept all the ideas and perceptions developed in the comics and the movies. This makes the whites, who encourage discrimination and inequality in the society, to shun various forms of discrimination in the society. The use of all whites also helps to change the mentality of the whites which in turn helps in the reduction of discriminations without much activism in the society. The ideas as laid out in the x-men comics and movies help to appropriate the struggles of the marginalized people and promote acceptance of minorities in the society (Rubin, 117). The x-men comics and movies also help in discouraging racial discrimination by showing the common cases of stereotyping that fuels discrimination in the society. In the Wolverine, the movies portray the Wolverine to be having a snarling, predatory aggression and this is directly known as the stereotype of the angry black men.

The x-men comic and movies also show how the marginalized groups is oppressed in the society, and this leads to the development of the idea of discrimination and inequality in the society. The comics and the movies suggest that to end the widespread discrimination and inequality in the society, the oppressed group must actively fight against the vices and free themselves from the bondage. This fight is illustrated in the way the leader of the x-men fights for his people to ensure that they are delivered from their bondage (Eisner, 104). Also, the film developed the idea of struggle when it elicits that various mechanism that the leader of the x-men uses to liberate his fellow mutants from the political struggle. The struggle that the x-men engage in shows that discrimination should be eliminated in the society and that the society should develop a different mindset. The society should accept diversity and promote divergence in the modern society.

The x-men comics and movies develop two main myths that they use to portray the ideas of discrimination and inequality in the society. One of the myths is that that all oppression is the same. The fictional group in the comics and the movies relate directly to the real-world historical oppression such as the Holocaust and the legalized segregation in the South that took place under the leadership of Jim Crow. The comics and the movies, therefore, borrow a lot of ideas from the past forms of discrimination and show analogies in the super powered, humans x-men. The x-men show the keen correlation between the previous forms of discrimination and the way the oppressed fought for their freedom. The Xavier's and Magneto's fights for the rights of the mutants show parallelism in the U.S Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s (Hughes, 73). Through the use of such allegory, the x-men comics and movies help to show that the freedom from discrimination will only result after much bloodshed and much struggle.

Also, the x-men comics and movies portray three different types of discrimination in the society. The first discrimination is the paternalistic prejudice. In this type of prejudice, the discriminating party shows high warmth towards the marginalized groups but shows a low perception of the competence of the group. The second form of prejudice is the contemptuous prejudice where the discriminating party shows low warmth towards the marginalized group and shows a low perception of the competence of the group (Gerde, 249). Finally, the x-men comics and movies helps to prove the third form of prejudice is the society is the envious prejudice where the discriminating party shows low warmth towards the group with high perception towards the competence of the group. The mutants in the x-men comic and movies are subjected to the three forms of discrimination and this helps to show the need to understand and tackle the various forms of prejudice in the society and engage in the development of the cohesion in the society.

The second myth that x-men comics and movies help to show is that an oppressed group is in some way responsible for its oppression.' In this light, the comics and the movies show that the oppressed help to that the oppressed should advocate for their freedom. The oppressed should handle their freedom, and it is upon them to identify various ways through which they can relieve themselves from the bondage. This is evident in the way the mutants in the x-men use their might and supernatural powers to tackle the widespread discrimination in the society (Dyson, 222). The mutants use their power to tackle the various forms of discriminations in which they are subjected to, and this greatly helps in reducing the forms of discrimination. In this manner, the oppressed group in the society handles the spread of discrimination in the society.

The myth that the oppressed handle their oppression has received various criticism since critics feel that it is not just to blame the oppressed for their oppression. Additionally, it is not right to place the burden peace and tolerance as a responsibility for the oppressed. Critics feel that blaming the oppressed for the widespread oppression in the society is a subtle form of oppression and this aids in the spreading the vice of oppression in the society (Trushell, 151). The use of the mutants as the direct representation of humans in the society and expecting the humans to fight for their rights misleads the society. This is because the human beings cannot be compared to the mutants because the mutants have special abilities that enable them to tackle the forms of discrimination to which the humans subject them.

Critics have the feeling that the perception the x-men comics and movies develop that the tackling oppression should only be the responsibility of the oppressed is misleading. They advise that both the oppressed and the mainstream society should join to form a strong force against prejudice in the society. This is because prejudice is an issue that should require efforts of every member in the society to ensure that people live in harmony and that there is improved cohesion. Unity in tackling oppression and i...