Does it matter that little Tony is black?
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Re: Does it matter that little Tony is black?
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Judging by the reviews of this book and the various comments, I don't think that "Little black kids can only do ordinary things" was noticed by anyone, including myself. I think the author wanted to convey the message that superheroes are just like ordinary persons who have to do the daily chores to maintain order and discipline in their lives. Maybe we adults are trying to read too much between the lines.cristinaro wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 05:33 Tony is a jovial little black kid always with a broad smile on his face. He is engaged in the typical activities of a kid his age.
Is he meant to defy the superhero stereotype especially since he does not seem to be doing anything extraordinary?
Did you feel the book undermines the myth of the white superhero and carries a message of inter-racial tolerance?
My fear is the message could be exactly the opposite. Little black kids can only do ordinary things like helping their mother, sweeping the floor or dusting the furniture. The superpowers still belong to the little white kids. I am wondering if Tony will actually have some superpowers in the next books of the series. What do you think?
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A question of note is: Are the kids all over the world simply divided into black and white races? If that is the case, what about the Latinos,the Hispanics, the Chinese, and other races.
The struggle between races is just an imaginary war in the minds of some individuals and sometimes we seem to promote it unknowingly.
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It is basically explaining that there is a reason that there are no superpowers showcased in this book but Toni does have them, and that will be evident in later books. I don't believe that R.D. Base was trying to insult Toni's racial background at all by keeping the introductory book simple for new beginning readers. Great questions and discussion!
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To me it’s just color. What matters most is the message passed or will I say communicated.Bianka Walter wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 11:31I totally agree. And you're right, it would be interesting to see how many kids commented on Toni's colour - if anycristinaro wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 11:20I guess my cultural conditioning and scholar training are to be blamed for my observations.Bianka Walter wrote: ↑01 Jul 2018, 10:30 The fact that Toni is black didn't even register on my radar until this thread. So I obviously felt none of the above.
And I don't think it will for kids either. They just see another kid, it's us adults that notice the colour![]()
It could be interesting to show the book to a number of children and see what happens. We learn about racial distinctions in time, so it's a good idea to have a black superhero to make sure we get rid of any prejudice and misconceptions.
Really interesting question though!