DC Comics publishes around 50 different titles in its main superhero line in any given month, meaning that they publish something like 600 total individual periodicals in a given year. You’re with me so far, right? Last week, the latest issue of the sales-handicapped Blue Beetle series, set in El Paso, Texas and featuring a hispanic protagonist, featured mostly Spanish-language dialogue. This means that .16% of DC’s pamphlets released in the last year will feature a language that is not English, delivered by a mostly non-native-English-speaking cast.
Of course, this offends some asshole named Dave, who doesn’t notice that the issue in question is set in Mexico.
I thought it was the first ever comic that bordered on racism. DC: Now forcing its readers to read Spanish.
And for the matter - point me in the direction of one immigrant kid who has 3 quid fifty, to spend on a comic book.
The first ever comic that bordered on racism. I guess we can ignore every World War II cover featuring the yellow menace ever, then? Or this Angel And The Ape story? Awesome! I love revisionism. Throw in the “three quid” line and you’ve got someone who loves England so much he’ll fight for America’s right to read comic books in English!
Of course, someone points out that the book’s always had a Mexican-American cast and is set in a region where Spanish is more likely to be spoken than English, but Dave doesn’t let that fact halt his onslaught against those demon invaders:
Fine, Fine - DC is now forcing its readers to speak Mexican - make up your minds.
You know, we have this exact same problem in our country - a flood of immigrants coming over, refusing to speak English, trying to force us to learn their language. It’s ridiculous. I can’t wait to see the sales figures on this one - because obviously its going to outsell New Avengers, right???
That’s right - when you can’t make your point through racism, bring commercial forces into it! In a response, Alan Coil points out that an ability to speak English isn’t really key to being an American:
Which country in the world has the largest English speaking population?
China.
Dave is not going to brook this sort of “logic,” though, and wants you to know he’s down with the Chinese:
Wow - don’t mention China, you’ll set off that idiot who starts ranting about Tibet. And hey, do you know whats great about Chinese people? A great many Chinese students come over to my country, and they learn MY LANGUAGE. They have their own culture, and their own little Chinatown, and Chinese Rshops and so on, but, at the end of the day, they say “Hello”. It goes a long way towards helping people intergrate.
I’d love to see the “Chinatown” Dave goes to - I imagine it’s a strip mall in Topeka with a place called Lucky Wok and a video shop that has a single, lone Jackie Chan poster.
My favorite part, however, is when Dave somehow connects DC featuring a cast of American citizens speaking another languages to a tacit endorsement of illegal immigration and separatist culture.
Why am I a bigot? Because I want foreign people coming to an English speaking country to learn, I don’t know, ENGLISH??? I assume in your perfect world, everyone will speak Mexican and we’ll all be happy when illegal immigration causes the economy to collapse. Now, generally, when I go on holiday, I’ve only really vacationed in places that speak English (USA, and Australia) - but, if I go to a foreign country, I use THEIR language. Now, there’s a cultural thing - in Amsterdam, for instance, I was with a Dutch family member, and everyone spoke pretty good English. In France, however, everyone assumes you speak French, and, if you don’t - tough titties.
I digress, however. There is a larger issue here - DC are saying “illegal immigration is ok”, “lack of community intergration is ok”. This book could have been used to examine these issues - but obviously the creators have their heads in the sand.
I find it more than a bit amusing that something that could potentially have young hispanic kids reading DC superhero comics is seen as being exclusionary, but that’s neoconservative logic for you: the poor, oppressed white man who only controls 90% of the nation’s wealth is under attack by young Latinos who may want to read about one of their own interacting with icons like Superman and Batman.
Sometimes, I wish this site were named Get Off The Planet.
