Black people playing Norse gods
- Thread starter joystickjunki3
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Pedantic side point: Idris Elba is British, born & raised in London. His American accent is convincing though.Ensiferum said:
See posts above - there is no double standard. A lot of white people have played African gods and a lot of notable non-white historical figures.
This is a total non-issue blown up into something that may cause doubt in otherwise reasonable people by racists grabbing frantically for media attention.
White man cast as an African God? I have a feeling it would be RE 5 all over again. I can see it now..."WHITE MAN TRIES TO REINSTATE RULE OVER BLACKS BY PLAYING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN GOD"
Its all stupid. There should be boundaries for race, but not this much.
Its all stupid. There should be boundaries for race, but not this much.
What color is the god in question?ScarletRider said:
For that matter, isn't Loki usually portrayed as gray? That's almost black.
So Heimdal can totally be black.
And yeah, if you actually care, you're either racist, or... 12 years old. *shrug* There's really no way to tap dance around this, even though this is the internet and so anyone can say anything straight-facedly.
Yes we get it, peeps. The hypothetical black people you see across the street would be totally mad if "an African god" (Looking up names would only complicate matters) was portrayed as white. At least, you assume that based on historical projection, right? (Can we save this fake debate for when we're portraying characters people still believe in?)
Thread already about this. Main point is the God he is portraying is called the white god, being called whiter than every other Norse God. They could have chosen a God that wasn't so obviously not black but no they chose the God called The White God.
Inn Þrymskviða(one of the best known poems from the Poetic Edda), Heimdall is refered to as the white-god. Kind of strange they had to pick the one god that is descriped as being of a pale complexion to be played by a black actor.
Not that I have any problem with any of this, just seems odd.
Not that I have any problem with any of this, just seems odd.
It's likely they chose an actor of darker complexion simply because of how the character is described in the original texts. It's called poetic license, oh and it's a comic book film.
Besides race really isn't an issue. Only those who want it to remain one ever raise the subject.
Besides race really isn't an issue. Only those who want it to remain one ever raise the subject.
Actually the Vikings were a bunch of xenophobes who believed that anyone who wasnt a Viking was worthless. They were into the slave trade and terrorized Ireland and many other places.WolfThomas said:
On the main subject, I know that there would be public outrage. Jessie Jackson and all the other liberals would be out there in a heartbeat crying at the defamation of their heritage. Your a racist if your opinion is different from theirs, its ridiculous. I dont think that the Norse Gods should be portrayed by anyone other than white people, preferably Scandinavians, just like I believe that all other gods and mythic beings should be portrayed by their respective culture. I was upset when The Last Airbender had a whole bunch of white people and Indians instead of Chinese/Japanese actors.
Will I still see Thor? Yes
Does my opinion matter? This is the internet, it will be lost in the wave of hate and apathy.
Edit: Lets remake Roots with Kunta Kinte played by a white man and see what happens. Guarantee you it wont go down well. All sorts of people will be up in arms.
And they were ignored.matthew_lane said:
But of course when it's a bunch of white people whining and crying, we all have to coo sweet lullabies into their ears until they've gone back to sleep, or at least gone back to their "Racism will never be dead until all those damned minorities stop talking about it" default.
This, plus the fact that Thor is WHITE, BLUE EYED AND BLOND IN THE COMIC BOOK! The same comic book they are using as source material. Have some goddamn respect for the source material and actually type-cast actors. I don't give two craps about race, color of skin and what not, my own freaking girlfriend is of a different color than I am. I have outgrown concepts like racism that no longer have a place in this world. I wish that Hollywood, Penny Arcade and the majority of the posters here would do that too.Vrud said:
I raged when I found out they used the Ultimate (black) Colonel Fury for Iron man and I raged when I saw what Micheal Bay did to the Transformers. RESPECT THE SOURCE MATERIAL, YOU WANKERS!
I'll be brief as I already explained my view on this in the other thread. If they have just cast him because he is black and "not be racist" it will be very evident in the movie. Like Voltemand(or Cornelius) from the Kenneth Brannagh production of Hamlet. Only 1 Black guy in the whole thing and he felt so out of place and unnatural really broke immersion. If the guy is meant to play the part I had no objections to Nick Fury being Black as the actor I think can play him well then go for it. They should however, try to cast someone as close to the source material as they really do owe it to the fans of the comics which are the main people who watch these movies anyway.
Although with this the one thing that really annoys me is that they are trying to incite anger here and piss people off. Of all the gods they pick they big the one that is called the whitest of the white gods and make him black. I am sorry but that is just pure troll bait to me. Obvious Kenneth Brannagh is a troll is obvious(not sure if that is phrased right but meh).
Although with this the one thing that really annoys me is that they are trying to incite anger here and piss people off. Of all the gods they pick they big the one that is called the whitest of the white gods and make him black. I am sorry but that is just pure troll bait to me. Obvious Kenneth Brannagh is a troll is obvious(not sure if that is phrased right but meh).
White actors, still - because there are more of them in general, because there are more white roles in the realm of history (history Hollywood is interested in, anyway) literature and pop-culture likely to be turned into movies, because "no race specified" still means "white" to most casting directors and because (though no one will ever admit it) Hollywood generally thinks white casts are bigger boxoffice draws than black casts unless you're talking a megastar like Will Smith. That's why, yes, a random white supporting character being turned black in "Thor" is NOT the same thing as one of the tiny handful of parts "for" minority actors being turned white in "Last Airbender."Snake Plissken said:
Yes, it's a double standard. And it exists as a "check" against other double standards because EVERYTHING having to do with race in our culture is afflicted by a double standard to one degree or another to begin with. Western Civilization was dominated by white-favoring ethnic bigotry and prejudice at every concievable level for hundreds of thousands of years, and has only been actively trying to "get better" at it for not even a century - it's not going to be "over" within yours, mine or anyone else's lifetime.
I thinnk they should've cast Lucy Liu as Thor.
I'm a citizen of a country, that didn't have colonies overseas, so the only black people around here are university students from abroad. Two of which are my good friends and, being intelligent persons, they find this occasion just as ridiculous as The Last Airbender case. Nick Fury, mentioned above, is american. America is a multiracial country, and Scandinavia isn't. Political correctness is a fresh shovel of dung into the whole racism business to keep it stinking.
I'm a citizen of a country, that didn't have colonies overseas, so the only black people around here are university students from abroad. Two of which are my good friends and, being intelligent persons, they find this occasion just as ridiculous as The Last Airbender case. Nick Fury, mentioned above, is american. America is a multiracial country, and Scandinavia isn't. Political correctness is a fresh shovel of dung into the whole racism business to keep it stinking.
Perhaps tolerant wasn't the best word to use, but they were racially equatable, didn't matter if you were Irish, English, French, Morrocan or Byzantine, they'd murder you equally for plunder. That said the Norse did still trade heavily with early Russian tribes, Africa and the Middleast, though as Viking expansion increased this subsequently decreased.Fishir said:
Norse people didn't consider all outsiders worthless, it's more they considered weaklings as worthless, it's just they believed the majority of outsiders were weaklings, but they were equally as harsh on members of their own society. It is not completely unreasonable that a black thrall might have earnt respect and freedom due to his strength and courage or that a norseman might take a wife from the Middle East or Africa, either consensually or against her will and raised a child of mixed race.
I'm not saying the Vikings were nice or good by any means, but they may have been less racist than other people of their time.