Hey guys.
Recently I have started to delve into the past of the super hero world I have helped create (70s and backwards) for that online story telling (Round-Robin/Game of sorts).
I first ran into the issue of writing possible racism or social unrest when looking for disasters (so to speak) that occurred in America for me to insert that I felt the fictional Heroes of that world might well have reacted to.
To my surprise Riots came up in the disasters.
Such as these.
1965 Aug. 11-16, Los Angeles: Riots in the Watts neighborhood resulted in $200-million damages and 34 dead, 1,032 injured, and 3,438 arrested
The riot is viewed by some as a reaction to the record of police brutality by the LAPD and other racial injustices suffered by black Americans in Los Angeles, including job and housing discrimination.
1967 July 12-17, Newark, N.J. Riots left 26 dead, 1,500 injured
In the period leading up to the riots, several factors led local African-American residents to feel powerless and disenfranchised. In particular, many felt they had been largely excluded from meaningful political representation and often suffered police brutality. Furthermore, unemployment, poverty, and concerns about low-quality housing contributed to the tinder-box.
1967 July 23-30, Detroit: Riots and burning in African-American ghetto killed 43, 467 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed, leaving over 5,ooo homeless. The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the corner of 12th and Clairmount streets on the city's Near West Side. Police confrontations with patrons and observers on the street evolved into one of the deadliest and most destructive riots in American history.
How do I handle something of this nature historically? Since most of the heroes of the time were as in the past, White?
I can't see anyone who calls themselves a super hero not involving themselves to stop the death of innocents.
How tricky is this?
I mean if the heroes involve themselves stop the police and the rioters from hurting one another (at least in these three examples), would there be a backlash? from the police? Would they be accused of being at fault/siding with the 'white' police or serving some kind of injustice? if they tried stopping rioters as well?
This is more so rather easy to write now than it would have been then (Just an assumption on my part), because it is less NOW than THEN, time sensitive and you have specific events that happened (I.E. absolute documented or known injustices from both sides of the fence). Sort of like when I am writing a disaster of a more natural or man-made nature. I have the absolute facts (as absolute as they can get I suppose) about the events that occurred (Such as in the case of Hurricanes, Tornados, Earth-Quakes, Floods, Oil Spills, etc.).
Do I write scenes where Police Officers make racial slurs when heroes come in to protect lives and vice-a-versa from Rioters when heroes come in to try to stop the writing so that no one gets injured or killed?
In any case... it would be disturbing, because I know unfair things would be said from both sides towards the heroes trying to stop innocent people and possibly property from being damaged BY both sides.
If I use racial slurs... to bring home points of the period... would that make it sound like I am advocating the use of such language? I don't approve of it mind you. But I won't mask the fact that it did indeed happen or having my heroes fighting a giant Octopus or dragged off into space for three days just to avoid their involvement (Two of the events above as the dates show happen in the same month of July, 1967).
I know during the time of the riots in comics they did not cover such Social upheavals.
But what could have Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Thor, Spider Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four have done if they had allowed them to involve themselves?
The sad thing is, Those and many others are a fictional World locked in place with real World history. Such as in the Riots I mentioned above, Oil Spills, 9/11 and the list goes on and on.
Are we not allowed or suppose to write stories where the Heroes maybe change the World? Would it change the World too much?
I personally feel in a fictional World they would be good stories to tell or at the very least describe what had occurred with the heroes and said unfortunate events.
Only in a piece of fiction could I tell a story in a World full of Supermen... that they didnt just sit on their hands or biting their nails forced to inaction, when they could have prevented most of 1965 Watts neighborhood riots which resulted in $200-million damages and 34 dead, 1,032 injured, and 3,438 arrested.
I know it is a piece of fiction but in hindsight, what do you think they would have done? Nothing?
Are those examples above too complicated of a Social/Historical markers? (Like 9/11?)
I would love some feedback.
G7
Recently I have started to delve into the past of the super hero world I have helped create (70s and backwards) for that online story telling (Round-Robin/Game of sorts).
I first ran into the issue of writing possible racism or social unrest when looking for disasters (so to speak) that occurred in America for me to insert that I felt the fictional Heroes of that world might well have reacted to.
To my surprise Riots came up in the disasters.
Such as these.
1965 Aug. 11-16, Los Angeles: Riots in the Watts neighborhood resulted in $200-million damages and 34 dead, 1,032 injured, and 3,438 arrested
The riot is viewed by some as a reaction to the record of police brutality by the LAPD and other racial injustices suffered by black Americans in Los Angeles, including job and housing discrimination.
1967 July 12-17, Newark, N.J. Riots left 26 dead, 1,500 injured
In the period leading up to the riots, several factors led local African-American residents to feel powerless and disenfranchised. In particular, many felt they had been largely excluded from meaningful political representation and often suffered police brutality. Furthermore, unemployment, poverty, and concerns about low-quality housing contributed to the tinder-box.
1967 July 23-30, Detroit: Riots and burning in African-American ghetto killed 43, 467 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed, leaving over 5,ooo homeless. The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the corner of 12th and Clairmount streets on the city's Near West Side. Police confrontations with patrons and observers on the street evolved into one of the deadliest and most destructive riots in American history.
How do I handle something of this nature historically? Since most of the heroes of the time were as in the past, White?
I can't see anyone who calls themselves a super hero not involving themselves to stop the death of innocents.
How tricky is this?
I mean if the heroes involve themselves stop the police and the rioters from hurting one another (at least in these three examples), would there be a backlash? from the police? Would they be accused of being at fault/siding with the 'white' police or serving some kind of injustice? if they tried stopping rioters as well?
This is more so rather easy to write now than it would have been then (Just an assumption on my part), because it is less NOW than THEN, time sensitive and you have specific events that happened (I.E. absolute documented or known injustices from both sides of the fence). Sort of like when I am writing a disaster of a more natural or man-made nature. I have the absolute facts (as absolute as they can get I suppose) about the events that occurred (Such as in the case of Hurricanes, Tornados, Earth-Quakes, Floods, Oil Spills, etc.).
Do I write scenes where Police Officers make racial slurs when heroes come in to protect lives and vice-a-versa from Rioters when heroes come in to try to stop the writing so that no one gets injured or killed?
In any case... it would be disturbing, because I know unfair things would be said from both sides towards the heroes trying to stop innocent people and possibly property from being damaged BY both sides.
If I use racial slurs... to bring home points of the period... would that make it sound like I am advocating the use of such language? I don't approve of it mind you. But I won't mask the fact that it did indeed happen or having my heroes fighting a giant Octopus or dragged off into space for three days just to avoid their involvement (Two of the events above as the dates show happen in the same month of July, 1967).
I know during the time of the riots in comics they did not cover such Social upheavals.
But what could have Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Thor, Spider Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four have done if they had allowed them to involve themselves?
The sad thing is, Those and many others are a fictional World locked in place with real World history. Such as in the Riots I mentioned above, Oil Spills, 9/11 and the list goes on and on.
Are we not allowed or suppose to write stories where the Heroes maybe change the World? Would it change the World too much?
I personally feel in a fictional World they would be good stories to tell or at the very least describe what had occurred with the heroes and said unfortunate events.
Only in a piece of fiction could I tell a story in a World full of Supermen... that they didnt just sit on their hands or biting their nails forced to inaction, when they could have prevented most of 1965 Watts neighborhood riots which resulted in $200-million damages and 34 dead, 1,032 injured, and 3,438 arrested.
I know it is a piece of fiction but in hindsight, what do you think they would have done? Nothing?
Are those examples above too complicated of a Social/Historical markers? (Like 9/11?)
I would love some feedback.
G7
